GasLand review

The devastation caused by natural gas drilling

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This rough-and-ready but revealing doc exposes the disastrous environmental impact of ‘fracking’ (hydraulic fracturing), a form of natural gas drilling that consumes vast quantities of water mixed with toxic chemicals.

Banjo-toting director Josh Fox visits US communities affected by this practice: he discovers flammable drinking-water supplies, mysterious health problems and worrying levels of air pollution.

The lesson is a familiar one but Fox conveys it vividly, contrasting natural beauty with the despoliation wrought by industrial plunder.

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