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Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is a method of extracting natural gas. "As much as eight percent of the methane in shale gas leaks into the air during the lifetime of a hydraulic shale gas well-up to twice what escapes from conventional gas production", Robert Howarth of Cornell University estimated. It was invented in the 1940s, but gained popularity in the past two decades, particularly in the U.S. This is because most conventional natural gas reservoirs that can be extracted using traditional methods have been depleted. [Extracted from the article]