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As the South African government considers introducing fracking to the Karoo, filmmaker Jolynn Minnaar decides to investigate the effects of this controversial process.
“Unearthed provides a significant platform for further discussion on the global energy crisis and offers a new perspective on the nature of the fracking debate.” Blue & Green Tomorrow
When Jolynn Minnaar first heard about fracking in the Karoo, her home district, she was optimistic. Companies seeking to drill in this semi-arid area of South Africa promised that the new process of gas extraction was safe, bringing widespread prosperity for the poor, rural communities. After coming across a rumoured case of water contamination in Pennsylvania, Jolynn is drawn into an investigation which takes her into America’s heart of darkness – the home of fracking technology – in search of answers.
Her discoveries leave her horrified. What she finds is a bleak landscape, where powerful energy companies exploit the land, at a terrible cost to both the environment and the health of the local communities. As the South African government lifts the moratorium on fracking, the race against time begins to share her findings with the residents of the Karoo – before it’s too late.
Unearthed challenges the assertion that hydraulic fracturing is a safe, time-tested technology and questions whether shale gas is the solution for our energy-hungry world.