Energy & Climate
Fracking & Reform
Dozens of Reform UK target seats at risk of being fracked, analysis shows.
12 September 2025
Main image: Actor and activist Jane Fonda visits John Allaire, a retired environmental engineer and Southwest Louisiana resident who has been battling nearby LNG expansion. Photo © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace
A new documentary featuring Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda and produced by Greenpeace USA had its UK premiere at Raindance Film Festival in London yesterday (24 June).
In GASLIT, Fonda embarks on a road trip through Texas oil and gas fields and Gulf Coast communities, meeting the people on the frontlines of the US fossil fuel boom.
The film offers an intimate and urgent portrait of shrimpers, cattle ranchers, former oil workers, families, faith leaders and self-described ‘reluctant activists’ who are standing up to the devastating health impacts and climate vandalism caused by this new industry.
‘This boom isn’t just about oil and gas – it’s about injustice, pollution and the destruction of entire communities. GASLIT is about amplifying the voices of everyday Americans who are too often ignored. They know what it means to confront power that is seemingly insurmountable, even when you have everything to lose.’
JANE FONDA
Actor and activist
Since 2023, the US has become the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is largely produced through fracking. Recent conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, combined with President Trump’s trade wars, have deepened the world’s dependency on US LNG. The UK and other European countries are now major importers.
The Gulf Coast of the US is the epicentre of the LNG boom, with new export terminals popping up from the Mississippi to the Rio Grande. Direct air pollution from these operations is linked to cancer, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular illness and is estimated to cause 60 premature deaths a year, but could soar to over 4,400 deaths a year by 2050 if all planned projects are built.
The process of turning fracked methane into a liquid for transportation is very carbon intensive. It involves chilling the gas to -162°C and keeping it in this super-chilled state in specialised tankers for the entire voyage. The process also releases huge amounts of methane – a greenhouse gas that’s over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term.
‘We and many others fought for a fracking ban in the UK, and for good reason. But communities across the US are living with the toxic impacts of this industry, yet we rarely hear their voices. This powerful documentary redresses that imbalance. If the recent conflict in the Middle East has taught us anything it’s that we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground and switch to renewable energy – for the sake of our health, jobs and energy security.’
AREEBA HAMID
Co-executive director at Greenpeace UK
At a time when Europe is increasing its dependence on US fracked gas, GASLIT exposes the human and environmental costs behind this growing dependency in all its brutality.
‘Now more than ever, we need the world to hear directly from those experiencing the climate crisis firsthand’, said Katie Camosy, director of GASLIT. ‘GASLIT is a visual representation of the movement and the people fighting tooth and nail for their lives every day. We’re deeply grateful to the communities in the Gulf South for their leadership – and we hope that people leave the theatre feeling both outraged and inspired by their stories.’
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