Abstract
Interest has been growing worldwide in unconventional natural gas that has become an increasingly important source of energy in the world. Unconventional gas development, including shale gas, generally involves a larger environmental impact, compared to conventional gas development, due to its intensity and scale of the operation. There are a growing number of studies on identifying and minimizing the environmental impacts of unconventional gas development. This study aims to examines the current environmental policies and regulatory systems related to the unconventional gas development. The study shows that few environmental regulation exists concerning unconventional gas development, even in the USA where unconventional gas development is most actively pursued. Regulations, however, are being developed based on studies currently underway on health and environmental risks of unconventional gas development and on guidelines designed to reduce the risks. In a world where environmental regulations are ever strengthening, review the environmental regulatory systems and guidelines about unconventional gas need to be established for Korean firms to understand environmental impacts of unconventional gas development they invest or take part in, enabling them to manage and operate gas activities in a way that minimizes environmental damages.
