14th November 2005

Phil Davis in his letter (Glos Echo 12/11/05) is right to raise the issue of protecting landscapes from wind farms. Of course they need to be sensitively designed, but many of us do not view them as the intrusion on the landscape that the letter seems to suggest. Indeed some of us find them beautiful and all the more so for their clean, safe contribution to tackling climate change.

The simple reality is that reducing CO2 emissions requires us to use less energy and switch to renewable, low-carbon methods of generating it. This remains the only viable answer to devastating climate change. Infact by not developing wind power - and we need both onshore and off shore - we are condemning many areas to be flooded and uninhabitable in a few short years if rising sea levels are left unchecked.

Phil Davis suggests wind power saves "tiny" amounts of CO2. Infact as Cheltenham's Jonathon Porritt recently said it has a "massive potential to cut emissions" (i). The UK has the best and most geographically diverse wind resources in Europe - wind power can play a major role in fulfilling the government's target for the contribution of renewables to electricity.

The UK has slipped in the world ranking of countries' commitment to wind power - and been criticised last month for failing to implement relevant EU directives. If the government is serious about achieving its CO2 reductions targets then it needs to do much more - and that includes being prepared to take difficult decisions.


Keith Bessant, Cheltenham Green party


Notes:

(i) See: The Guardian, November 3, 2005 "Wind power is reliable and could soon prove to be cheaper than nuclear"