Major problems

Barry Crossland, Elland

I despair when I read Roger Taylor’s ramble and our Government’s action in tackling our country’s problems.

We have major problems with the invasion of Ukraine, energy bills and a climate crisis. Roger Taylor has no constructive suggestions on the first two and would make the climate crisis worse. He chooses to ignore the recent report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, based on research by thousands of scientists.

He also makes assertions unsubstantiated with facts. Energy costs for on-shore wind and solar have fallen dramatically in the past 10 years and are now comparable to fossil fuel electricity generation.

I have solar panels and they reliably generate just over 3000 KWh per annum, more than my annual consumption. The problem with solar and wind is they are intermitent. However, battery storage has also improved dramatically and the smart grid is in its infancy.

Before the invasion of Ukraine, Putin was building up his troops but no western nation seemed to have a plan when the invasion occurred. Instead of funding Putin’s war with a billion of Euros per day for fossil fuels, an immediate embargo would has inflicted serious damage on Russia. We would suffer, possibly having to resort to energy rationing. This is trivial when compared to the suffering of Ukrainian people.

To tackle fuel bills a crash insulation program is needed before next winter. Loft insulation is easy DIY job. Cavity wall insulation and draught proofing are cost effective. There are on-shore wind and solar farms schemes ready to go, but just need a planning law change and finance. This action will lower people’s energy bills and lower the nations carbon emissions. Transition to a low carbon economy is not easy but I see it as the only way to avoid huge problems in the future.

To tackle fuel bills a crash insulationprogramis needed before next winter. B CROSSLAND