We’ll need lagoons when fuel runs out Walk away from EU

IN HIS letter of January 12 entitled “Is this lagoon really value for money?”, John Bevan denigrates the Welsh Government for offering to contribute financially to the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon.

Like the vast majority of people in the world – including politicians – he completely disregards the fact that the Earth’s resources of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are finite.

Ecotricity (the renewable energy company based in Gloucestershire) has published a report entitled The End of Fossil Fuels (accessible via Google). It states that – at the current rate of consumption – the currently known oil reserves will run out in 2052. Likewise, the gas reserves in 2060 and the coal reserves in 2088.

Even if one questions these dates, there is no doubt whatever that the reserves will run out in the not-toodistant future. Some new reserves will undoubtedly be found, but even so, it is pretty obvious that if the present rate of consumption continues all the Earth’s fossil fuel reserves will be exhausted sometime in the 22nd century. As such, is it not high time that world leaders (all of them) faced this grave reality and planned for the complete replacement of fossil fuels by other – clean, renewable – means of energy production that don’t grievously pollute and seriously endanger the only planet accessible to us?

Procrastinating until the issue becomes a critical global emergency, leaving our descendents without an adequate energy supply, is not a wise or responsible policy.

We badly need many more tidal lagoons without delay, whether or not they are value for money.

The Welsh Government would also do well to consider legislating to compel all new houses that are built to have solar panels – this would be just one policy that would contribute to increasing the use of clean energy. Gwyn Hopkins

Llanelli NIGEL Farage wants nothing to do with paying the EU a ridiculous sum in ransom money and staying in a modified version of the Single Market. I am with Nigel Farage, 100%. We should walk away. Which makes me think of the famous graffiti. It should now read WTO RULES... OK...? Dai Woosnam Grimsby