Action on sources of power
Let's forget the hand- wringing over global warming, the nimbyism over wind turbines, the brouhaha over nuclear power. In all these controversies there should be one question uppermost in all our minds . . .
In all these controversies there should be one question uppermost in all our minds: do we want our descendants to have a lifestyle comparable to our own or do we want them to inherit a pre-industrial, horse-powered, agrarian economy?
The time is rapidly approaching where stark choices will be forced upon us all, not just politicians. Coal, oil and gas will run out, and as supplies decrease prices will spiral and we have already seen how some regimes are willing and able to hold their customers to ransom.
We need to examine how to best use all of our own naturally renewable energy sources (wind, wave, tidal, bio-gas, hydro etc), in order to minimise our dependence on foreign fuel supplies.
The first step must be to minimise (not merely reduce), energy consumption, not just by households but by industry too.
We must make use of waste heat from manufacturing industries by means of locally "closed-loop" hot water systems.
Farmers should receive grants (not loans) to set up bio-gas fired generators (using animal waste to provide methane via anaerobic digesters).
They should also be financially encouraged to grow crops suitable for conversion into bio-ethanol, bio-diesel or bio-mass.
These may seem pie-in-the-sky ideas or draconian, but the idea of my great grandchildren having no books to read because there is no electricity to print them fills me with dread.
R A Doughty, Bridgnorth
