Global controversies in local settings: anti-fracking activism in the era of Web 2.0

Abstract

In this era of global challenges in energy policy, the importance of siting of facilities connected to development of energy system is greater than ever. At the same time, spreading of these facilities has often been controversial in surrounding communities. This article advances the debate on this phenomenon by focusing on an aspect of siting controversies that has become a game changer in recent years but has received remarkably little attention: the role of Web 2.0 in siting conflicts. To explore the impact of Web 2.0, the paper uses a case study approach, examining the influence of access to the Internet in two siting conflicts associated with shale gas prospecting in Poland in the period from 2012 to 2014. The possibilities that Web 2.0 offers to residents and other local actors in siting conflicts – access to knowledge, the ability to reframe the local debate using international resources, and mobilization of a network of support by sharing their version of the story – influence the dynamics of risk communication during siting controversies.

Keywords:

• siting controversy
• Web 2.0
• fracking
• shale gas
• risk communication

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to Marjolein van Asselt, Marijke Hermans and Mark Elam for their comments on an earlier draft and to Ekaterina Tarasova, Aleksandra Lis and Piotr Stankiewicz for further discussions. I am also grateful to the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and suggestions and to Mikołaj Golubiewski for his invaluable assistance with final editing.

Notes

1. N = 1002, CATI, representative sample of Poles over 18, 6-10.12.13, conducted for the Polish Geological Institute.

2. I disclosed the municipality’s name, because my analysis is based mainly on publicly available documentation posted voluntarily by the engaged activist.

3. All interviews and other presented materials were created in Polish and translated by the author of the article.