The battle to win hearts and minds in the shale gas debate

TOM Pickering is a devoted Munro-bagger, a pastime that goes hand in hand with a love of the outdoors, and beautiful landscapes.

The Munros, as any dedicated hillwalker will tell you, are mountains in Scotland above 3,000 feet, and they attract “baggers” who prize their serenity. When he’s not braving the fickle Scottish weather, Mr Pickering is out camping. game fishing and shooting in his spare time.

He’s not the sort of person who would want to spoil a perfect view. This makes him the perfect advocate for Ineos Shale, a company that has secured licences for petroleum exploration in parts of the North York Moors National Park.

The licences cover some of the national park, although it was decided by Parliament that drilling would not be allowed inside the national park itself. Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos chairman, predicted that we were about to witness the start of a shale gas revolution that will transform manufacturing in the UK.

Mr Ratcliffe, who was educated at Beverley Grammar School, said that Ineos had the skills to safely extract the gas, and he has promised to talk to local communities about the company’s plans and share the rewards with them. In 2014, Ineos, a Swiss-based chemicals giant, announced plans to invest £640m in shale gas exploration and appraisal in a move which could make it the biggest player in the industry in the UK.

Not everyone has welcomed Ineos’s arrival in Yorkshire. Russell Scott, of Frack Free North Yorkshire, claimed that Yorkshire would soon become one huge gas field, “with grave consequences for our local industries, environment, wildlife, health and peaceful way of life”. Mr Pickering is an energy industry veteran who wants to use calm analysis, and community consultation, to allay these fears. He’s been at the sharp end of the sector, having worked on North Sea oil rigs, before working as an independent energy consultant. He is keen to win hearts and minds.