Fracking in the UK and Austria: from contestation to constructive interaction?

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking has been gaining significance and causing controversies over the last decade. The risks and impacts assessments of fracking as well as the forecasts of the economic revenue expeted from shale gas production are varying and contradictory. Proponents and opponents of the technology and its field of applications are engaging in heated discussions in the media, political arenas, or in direct confrontation. This study traces the contours of the societal contestation of fracking for shale gas production in Austria and the UK. Although the debates in both cases show similar characteristics, the position of certain key actors, the governance approaches, the unfolding of events and their outcomes differ.