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The prospect of ‘fracking’ for shale gas in South Africa's Karoo has generated heated exchanges in public forums and in the media. This article seeks to understand why common ground in the debate has proved to be so elusive. The article divides the parties to the impasse into three camps and examines the ethical positions which seem to inform each faction's standpoint. The article finds that the tensions between the main protagonists’ positions are due to two related ethical ‘faultlines’. The first revolves around the inherent incompatibility of consequentialism with moral absolutism. The second relates to tensions between nature as an instrumental good, and an ethic that treats nature as an intrinsic good. The discussion considers the merits of cost–benefit analysis and whether, at the very least, exploration for shale gas should be permitted. The article concludes by weighing up the preconditions for a rapprochement being reached between the contending factions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The topic of shale gas mining has been hotly debated in South Africa. One unexplored issue is municipalities' readiness to deal with potential disasters related to shale gas mining. In South Africa, municipalities vary greatly in their ability to function well; this is due to complex factors related to intergovernmental relations, funding systems, political leadership, and administrative competence. This paper reviews the planning documents of the 25 mainly rural municipalities in the Karoo region, to assess the prominence and effectiveness of disaster management planning. Municipalities will have to navigate a complex intergovernmental system with confusing legislative mandates. Many municipalities have insufficient trained staff, inadequate equipment and vehicles, poor command systems, divergent municipal by-laws, and weak civilian networks. Any investment in shale gas mining will have to be accompanied by a concerted effort by national government, as well as any future shale gas investor, to strengthen provincial and municipal disaster management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]