Human induced earthquakes

We have known since the 1960s that humans can cause earthquakes by pumping water into rocks.  The technique has even been used to release the stress on faults by triggering small earthquakes (though with litle real success).  An attempt to generate geothermal energy in Switzerland in 2009 by injecting water deep under the Alps resulted in a prison sentence for the owner of the company when earthquakes were triggered under the city of Basel.

Earthquakes under Basel

Recent research has shown that distant earthquakes combined with injection of waste water into the ground can set off relatively large earthquakes, even a 5.7 magnitude event in Oklahoma.  Why then is this relevant to us?  With our increasing need to find reliable sources of energy from geothermal sources or by fracking shale for gas, we are injecting a lot of water into the ground, particularly in the US so events like these may become more common.  A lot of fuss was made about some very small earthquakes near Blackpool because of fracking activity.

Fracking Earthquakes - BGS report

The question is whether our need for energy is worth the inconvenience of increased seismic activity?