Fracking 2.0 is a technology designed to extract natural gas from underwater deposits of methane hydrate, a frozen gas sometimes referred to as flammable ice. The technology is so called fracking 2.0 because it's the successor to fracking, a common technique used to extract shale gas. The success of fracking, or hydraulic fracking, has fundamentally transformed the landscape of energy production especially in countries such as the U.S. and China.

Methane hydrate is a sherbet-like substance that can form when methane gas is trapped in ice below the seabed or underground. Compared to shale gas extraction, methane hydrate requires additional steps to first convert the flammable ice into natural gas, and then bring the gas to the surface.

Methane is known to be an extremely potent greenhouse gas that is 20 times more damaging than CO2. As a result, mishandling of the extraction process can lead to negative consequences for the environment.