Energy inequality

The unprecedented rise in the price of domestic energy has led to a crisis for those with least. Untargeted short term financial support, while welcome, doesn't address the commodification of energy, an underlying inequity that’s made things worse. Modern life deprives the poorest of something our ancestors took for granted – the ability to cook and derive heat from foraged fuel burnt in a hearth. Cooking food and heating a dwelling are essential to the maintenance of human life, yet in the current circumstances they aren't a given.

Short-term handouts won't solve the crisis or prevent a future one. The solution has to address the fundamental inequity of the current system, and there needs to be clarity and fairness in pricing rather than the tired plea that the “market” determines the retail price. The reason it's allowed to is simply to deliver utility companies' profits. Although community green energy schemes look set to play a greater role in rural areas, there remain considerable challenges for the provision of fairly priced energy in cities. Furthermore, energy poverty is inseparable from efforts to combat climate change and both are ethical issues that will affect voting intentions. Innovative, detailed and workable plans to deal with these issues are overdue – when will our politicians give them the attention they deserve?

RA WALLACE Kincardine, Fife