In the United Kingdom, anti-shale groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are using property law to attempt to stop hydraulic drilling, a process that they believe pollutes water and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Citing trespass laws, anti-fracking campaigners argue that it is illegal for companies to drill under a person's property unless the landowner gives consent, and so far they have succeeded in pushing production back several years. Such campaigners face a challenge in Prime Minister David Cameron, who had planned to augment economic growth and cut energy prices by developing shale. “If we don’t back this technology,” Cameron said in August, “we will miss a massive opportunity to help families with their bills and make our country more competitive.” The debate on fracking is a global one; earlier in October, France’s constitutional court upheld a ban on fracking, while in South Africa drillers face legal obstacles to exploration. For the full story, see http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-16/fracking-opponents-find-lawyers-beat-superglue-in-slowing-shale.html.