Infrastructure is the climate key

Sir, – It isn’t just greater effort to reduce emissions that we need but a change in the way society and the economy works. I say this with particular reference to electrification of road transport, which continues to facilitate our modern economies, and is the biggest single cause world wide of the increasing CO2 levels.

Many decry our use of fossil fuels, and urge a move to electric propulsion.

However they continue to focus on the vehicles themselves and hitherto ignore where the real problem lies.

Across the UK we have, for the last 10 years or so, used nearly 500TWH (ref RAC Foundation) of energy for transport purposes.

If we were to change to electric vehicles then this additional energy has to be found from somewhere, and in broad terms will require up to an additional 19,000 wind turbines to be installed.

This is, however, only part of the problem as the ability to refuel (ie recharge) is constrained by the rate at which batteries can be charged, as well getting that power to them, requiring high voltages and high currents. And, not least, improve this capability for use during emergency situations and in remote locations.

Instead of exhorting people to purchase niche and often impractical vehicles, which in one form or other have existed for well over 100 years, significant effort needs to be expended on the infrastructure, which is required to make people willing to make the technology change.

Without suitable infrastructure why should anyone change?

Nick Cole. Balmacron Farmhouse, Meigle, Perthshire.

The greenhouse effect has been misrepresented to the public and is ‘independent of atmospheric composition’. In other words, it doesn’t matter how much CO2 there is