The oft-repeated promises of prosperity, social development, and employment used by LNG developers and their financiers to justify continued financing of gas infrastructure are misleading.
Around the world, the development of LNG terminals and LNG carriers often result in restricted access to areas near construction sites and terminals that were previously used by communities for tourism of fishing. In some cases, fishermen are forced to travel long distances to find new fishing grounds, leading to a sharp decline in their revenues due to increased fuel costs. Fishermen in areas near LNG terminals also report a decline in fish catches. The LNG boom in the US Gulf South – home to the largest development of new LNG terminals – has led many fishermen to abandon seafood fishing. Once known as “the seafood capital of America”, the region is now often referred to as a “sacrifice zone”. Additionally, LNG terminals can compete with local communities for freshwater resources due to the terminals’ water usage, such as in the Verde Island Passage in Philippines (see the case study).
