Insight into Impact: The Societal Consequences of Gas Extraction in Groningen and Ways of Thinking for the Future

In the province of Groningen, gas extraction has led to induced earthquakes. This has had a tangle of societal consequences affecting many across provincial borders, from the level of individuals to the national government. Developments in the gas extraction case are quite complex: they change quickly and the societal impacts are diverse and wide-ranging. The Dutch government has set up a complex system of institutions and regulations to deal with these consequences, but still the trust of residents in the Dutch government and its ability to deal with such complex issues has been severely damaged. The complexity is also due to the many different areas in which consequences are felt, including economics, politics, liveability, health, and safety. The aim of this publication is to provide an overview of all these different societal impacts. This is relevant for those
wanting to learn about societal impacts, and how failing to address them creates even larger challenges.
This publication is written by the Knowledge Platform (Kennisplatform Leefbaar en
Kansrijk Groningen). The Platform was established to gather and disseminate knowledge about the societal impact of induced earthquakes in the Northern Netherlands and to stimulate knowledge utilisation in mining policy. The Platform collects both scientific and practical knowledge by reviewing recent literature from different disciplines and by keeping in close contact with many different stakeholders. We take stock of what is known, whether there are knowledge gaps, and whether follow-up research is needed.
Our audience is broad and includes industry, government, civil society, and research. The Knowledge Platform periodically gives an overview of the state of (scientific) knowledge through easily accessible and publicly available knowledge overviews. These publications focus on various themes: from participation of residents in the reinforcement of their house, the economy and the liveability of villages, to the governance aspects of this case study. They are written for a wide public; from residents to policy makers and scientists; three were released in the past (Sluiter et al., 2018; Busscher et al., 2020; Hupkes et al., 2021).
The most recent knowledge overview was published in Dutch in November 2023: Inzicht in impact: De maatschappelijke gevolgen van de gaswinning en denkrichtingen voor de toekomst. It builds on previous knowledge and extends it by integrating 70 sources published between August 2020 and mid 2023.