'The world's last great source of carbon-based fuel'?

We're getting pretty desperate on this planet for stuff we can burn to create energy. The latest pursuit? "Flammable ice." This according to a report at New Scientist.

Beneath some permafrost and stretches of ocean floor lie frozen methane hydrates. If we can find an efficient way to mine this stuff, we may have a new fuel source on our hands. Japan, which has long searched for a homespun energy source is leading research in this field.

But caution is urged. "Disturbing the hydrates" could lead to a chain reaction causing seaborne natural disasters like tsunamis. Scotland is thought to have been hit by a tsunami 8000 years ago after a "sudden release" of gas from beneath the sea floor.