The government’s reckless pursuit of fracking has reached new lows with the announcement that ministers will attempt to buy off widespread community opposition to the controversial new fossil fuel source through the introduction of a £1bn Shale Wealth Fund. At a time when we need to be making the transition to a jobs-rich zero-carbon future, this would be a gross violation of the commitments made in Paris last year. Already 2016 is set to be the hottest year on record and without a global step-change we will blow the 1.5C goal within years. Nobody can buy the silence of a climate that is spinning into chaos and turmoil.

Trying to bribe public to accept fracking won't work, say campaigners Read more

Meanwhile, opposition to fracking in the UK is overwhelming, particularly in communities where wells are planned. In Yorkshire, for example, there were 4,375 letters of objection and only 36 of support for the fracking application in Ryedale. Nationally, a recent government survey found that just 19% of people back shale gas exploration in the UK, down from a high of 29% two years ago. Fracking hasn’t happened in the last five years due to local communities standing up and saying no to every well that has been proposed.

It’s an insult to those who have fought hard to protect their local environment – and the wider global environment – from the dangers posed by fracking, to suggest they can be bought off like this. Despite ministers trying to shut down the planning process and silence legitimate peaceful protest, local people do still have a powerful voice and are not afraid to use it. To assume their objections are for sale is to misunderstand the principles at stake here. The government would do better to listen to the communities rejecting fracking and to the 10,000 local people who opposed a new opencast mine at Druridge Bay, which will nonetheless go ahead unless the secretary of state steps in to stand up for a safe climate.

In order to stay below 2C warming we need to keep around 80% of fossil fuels in the ground. This is a respected and well-established position now endorsed by leading physicians, scientists – and even bankers, including Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England. As a new (and still unproven) source of fossil fuels, fracking is completely incompatible with tackling climate change. The government’s own climate advisers recently published a report suggesting that three tests needed to be met for fracking to proceed safely. None of these tests are anywhere near being achieved.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Anti-fracking campaigners in Blackpool. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

The bigger picture is that fracking is yet another sign of a broken and outdated energy policy – the Hinkley Point C white elephant being the most recent example. Public subsidies for Hinkley are estimated to reach £30bn, while even offshore wind – often thought the most complex and costly form of renewable electricity generation – is now considered a serious and potentially cheaper alternative by the National Audit Office.

The only way out of the climate crisis is through a radical transition to a zero-carbon economy based on renewable energy. The public know this – that’s why support for renewables remains high at 81%, with only 4% opposing. Despite this, the UK currently does not have the policies to meet half of its 2030 carbon reduction targets. This needn’t be the case. Since 2009 the costs of solar photovoltaic modules have fallen by 75%, while recent estimates suggest that prices could fall by a further 60% by 2025 if the industry receives the right investment.

If we invested in making our homes more energy efficient, we could create 100,000 new jobs

If we invested in making our homes more energy efficient, we could create 100,000 new jobs, reduce household energy bills by hundreds of pounds, strengthen energy security and reduce carbon emissions. The solutions are in front of us and the benefits for communities near shale gas reserves, such as those in Northumberland and Blackpool, will far outstrip the cash value of what is being offered by the government in bribes.

Later this year, the government must publish a new carbon plan that will outline the path to a 57% reduction in emissions by 2030 to meet its commitments under the Climate Change Act. Alongside the decision to embark upon a new industrial strategy, this plan, if taken seriously, could be a real opportunity to put climate change at the heart of government decision-making.

Rather than betting on shale gas, which takes us further in the wrong direction, England should follow Wales and Scotland and announce a moratorium on fracking. Then it should do the only thing that makes sense – economically, environmentally and socially: invest in the shared wealth that can be generated by renewable energy and energy efficiency. In other words, invest in the future.