A protest held in In Salah on Wednesday. Photo posted on Twitter by

@adlenmeddi

This protest in In Salah was held last Wednesday. Photo posted on Twitter by

Since the beginning of the year, protests have been intensifying in In Salah, a town located in the Algerian Sahara where the government launched its first shale extraction – or “fracking” – operation at the end of December. The locals fear the environmental consequences of this controversial form of shale gas extraction and denounce the government’s failure to engage residents in any dialogue.Close to 15,000 people protested in In Salah, with another 4,000 in Tamanrasset and 5,000 in Ouargla, last week, according to “El Watan” newspaper. The protesters carried signs reading “Shale gas, health disaster” and “We are not guinea pigs”.In Salah and these neighbouring towns are located in one of seven zones identified by the Algerian government as potentially rich in shale gas. Experts believe this North African country could be home to the world’s third largest reserve of hydrocarbon gas (after China and Argentina.) The Algerian authorities also seem eager to diversify their energy production, especially in the face of falling in petrol prices.The only known method of shale gas extraction, fracking, is a highly controversial practice. It is not only costly, but it is widely believed to have negative impacts on the environment. The process can both contaminate groundwater and release methane, a gas that produces an even stronger greenhouse effect than CO2. Our Observer says that these concerns about the environment are at the root of the repeated protests.