The ethical issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas in the Karoo are numerous and complex. While this is not a new procedure with new technology, South Africa and particularly the Karoo are not used to this term and what it entitles. There is no reason why shale formations should not be developed to their full potential, but the crisis is balancing development and not negatively impacting residents who live there. Communities were built where water was available, and industries that contaminate that supply are simply unacceptable (Potter & Rashid, 2013). Many questions concern fracking, issues involving national government and job creation, local municipalities and job opportunities, economists and revenue, relevant infrastructure. concerning the local economy, local developers, current landowners and property values, food security, the social and moral decline of society, local governments' feelings towards Ubuntu, and the list goes on and on . While the list of potential problems is long, there are also some benefits in this area. The state of South Africa now has a new form of revenue that will be collected through taxes and permits. All the towns and small towns in the Karoo will benefit from all the new business brought forward by the new drilling operators. All farmers who own mineral rights will be financially rewarded by the gas industry that leases these rights (Potter & Rashid, 2013). The fact that natural resources continue to decline is obvious, so the need for sustainable energy from alternative resources is completely understandable. Natural gas in the Karoo has sparked optimism about the abundance found, however several ethical questions arise when you drill...... middle of paper ......Waxmann et al. (2011) 750 different chemicals were used by various oil and gas companies during hydraulic fracturing over a four-year period, during which at least 29 were identified as containing carcinogens listed as hazardous in both the Clean Air Act than in safe drinking water. The USEPA (2011) suggested that chemicals used during fracking should be monitored according to specific criteria. Keeping the technical background in mind, this is certainly one of the categories to decide whether fracking is ethical or not. Now one may ask whether transparency is practiced. If this is not the case, then ethical questions will be raised. Take the fracking industry for example, as seen above they have hidden some of the contents of the mixture used. So now using this poisonous fluid and not talking about it to the public is not seen as an ethical practice.