Floccinaucinihilipilification - the act of deliberately minimising the importance of something, is the longest non-technical word in the English language, beating antidisestablihmentarianism by one letter.
It is also what oil and gas companies are doing with shale gas and fracking. They are playing down perceived risks.
Most people will not take the companies seriously until they start taking the responsibility to address the risks honestly and to take ownership of them.
Trust will only come if we believe that risks are being managed well rather than being played-down, and where companies have enough to lose if there is a mistake.
Perhaps the Prime Minister ought to draft laws ensuring that companies involved in shale gas exploration and production have to arrange for a public bond as security for the environment.
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