Is shale gas the environmentalists miracle ?

Is shale gas the 'miracle' that all environmentalists have been waiting for?

READ Matt Ridley's GWPF scientific report.  READ James Delingpole's take on the political implications

Imagine if we were to discover a new form of cheap, clean energy so abundant that it will provide our needs at least for the next two centuries, freeing us from the pervasive early 21st century neurosis of having to worry about “peak oil” or “conserving scarce resources”, causing a worldwide economic boom and with the added side-benefit of creating more fertiliser so that we can not only heat our homes more cheaply than ever before but also eat more cheaply than ever before. Imagine how Environmentalists would react if such a miracle came into being. Actually we don’t need to imagine for the miracle is already here. It’s called Shale Gas. --James Delingpole, The Daily Telegraph, 4 May 2011