How history shaped shale gas debate in France and Germany
London, September 26, 2025, (Oilandgaspress) –– Research co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School looks at the energy history of France and Germany to examine how the debate over shale gas fracking developed very differently in the two countries. The study draws on the academic concept of “framing” to illustrate the fracking debate.
Shale gas debate in France and Germany offers unique research insight
Shale gas, which is a natural gas trapped within shale rock, can be tapped through horizontal drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking), by injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemical additives into the bedrock. Environmentalists have long been concerned about air pollution, groundwater contamination and methane emissions from fracking, and there are also concerns about seismic activity which led to a ban on fracking in the UK enacted in 2019. The robust debate over shale fracking in France and Germany, played out in the news media and in parliaments, provided rich detail for the research by Shaz and his colleagues in the journal Organization Studies.
In France, shale gas production was framed as inherently at odds with the country’s energy strategy – which since the oil shocks of the 1970s has focused on boosting nuclear power (which accounts for about 70% of France’s energy supply) and a broader shift away from fossil fuels.
In Germany, by contrast, shale gas was framed as an option in line with the country’s energy mix, including significant reliance on coal which still accounts for about a quarter of Germany’s energy generation. Shale gas has been seen in Germany as a cleaner fossil fuel and a way to use technology to tap a transitional energy source. Says Professor Shahzad Ansari, co-author of the study:
“Framing matters because it shapes what societies see, what they fight over, and what they can agree upon. Framing is not mere spin, it’s power. What is at stake is not just language or words, but the opening of new ways of thinking.”
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