Sir, – I’m an engineer, I spent my working life in the offshore oil industry but I’ve come to fully accept the effect that the continued use of fossil fuel is having on Earth’s climate. I need no convincing.
However I think the climate camp protest is wrongly focused on stopping North Sea production and leaving us dependent on gas imports and exposed to the sort of price spikes, supply disruption and geopolitical blackmail that we see being exerted by Russia.
Wind will increasingly reduce the use of gas for electricity generation, especially as energy storage solutions develop.
Phasing out gas used for heating is an altogether different problem requiring massive changes by millions of consumers not by the few producers.
The Office for National Statistics says there are 28 million households in the UK, the vast majority of which rely on gas heating. Domestic property conversion will cost hundreds of billions, take decades and require draconian measures to force us all to do it at our own expense.
Instead of actually or metaphorically chaining themselves to drill rigs, the climate campers should be chaining themselves to the doors of our hospitals, schools and universities, industry, offices and shops to demand that these big consumers stop using gas first.
Turning off the central heating in Westminster and Holyrood might help focus minds sooner too.
Climate camp should focus on rapid gas demand reduction and leave the supply side to wither away as demand falls. Doing it the wrong way round will leave us unwashed, shivering in unheated homes eating raw food, strategically vulnerable and broke.
Some would say that we are close to that already.
Steve Roberts, Earlspark Drive, Aberdeen.
Plenty to be proud of in Scotland
Sir, – We have, almost, daily diatribes from unionist party supporters castigating the SNP. They should take their blinkers off.
In Scotland, despite the difficulties of Covid, we have the best-performing NHS in the UK; an almost fully manned police force, giving us the lowest crime levels for decades; an education system that has led to more of our young leaving with more and better qualifications. The poorest in society are aided with the Scottish Welfare Fund, additional child payment and mitigation of the “bedroom tax”. We also have, on average, lower council tax in Scotland. Add to that a fairer and more equitable taxation regime. What’s not to like?
No government can ever be perfect, but I’m so glad I live in Scotland, not elsewhere in the UK.
Ron Campbell. Richmond Walk, Aberdeen.
Calling on all the country’s carers
Sir, – Unpaid carers in Scotland are spending hundreds of hours each month looking after sick or disabled family members, often with little to no support.
Many are being pushed to exhaustion and burnout as a result.
Carers Scotland’s annual State of Caring seeks to capture these experiences and give a voice to carers.
It covers a wide range of themes, including carers’ finances, health, wellbeing and more – helping to build a picture of unpaid caring and highlighting the biggest challenges facing our carer population today.
We’d encourage as many carers as possible across Scotland to complete the survey and help generate the evidence we need to make a case for change to both the Scottish and UK Governments.
It can be found online here.
Fiona Collie, Carers Scotland, Pearce Street, Glasgow.
Golden age of the dance bands
Sir, – The obituary to Duncan McIntosh brought back so many memories of my youth spent in rural Aberdeenshire.
Every weekend we were spoilt for choice with dances being held in many village halls, all venues listed on the back page of the now defunct People’s Journal.
Everyone had their favourite band. Top of the list for my group of friends was the Duncan McIntosh Dance Band. Be it quickstep, foxtrot, dances quick or slow, Duncan and his band were top notchers, and where they played in the area we followed.
Of the others, only Billy Nicol and his fellow musicians from Millbank came within touching distance. Romances – some lasting a lifetime, others transient and soon forgotten – began to the music of such bands.
A golden age of entertainment happening right on our doorstep we were so lucky to enjoy. We didn’t realise we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun.
Ivan W. Reid, Kirkburn, Laurencekirk.
Ugly structures are price worth paying
Sir, – Your letters page of July 22 carries no fewer than six submissions on the topic of climate change or energy transition, showing there is a healthy debate in this vitally important challenge. This should be encouraged.
Of the six letters, I will respond to Charles Wardrop’s with a series of points.
He quotes a £250 cost to consumers for the Renewables Obligation.
It is difficult to comment on this figure since the scheme was terminated in 2017, over five years ago. The average UK electricity bill in 2021, however, was £764 and the so-called green levy (all social and environmental costs) was around a quarter of this, or £191.
But note: this is not just for the benefit of wind farms but also for things like the Warm Home Discount, energy efficiency for homes and businesses, and other schemes such as rooftop solar.
The German company that recycles wind turbine blades does not send them to landfill; it reduces them to fragments for input to manufacturing new carbon fibre.
There is already over a gigawatt of battery storage in the National Grid with a 16 gigawatt pipeline of new battery projects planned. This is developing quickly and will fully decarbonise the UK electricity system in the very near future.
Dr Wardrop describes wind farms as “appalling ruination of vast areas of land”. If by this he means they are a blot on the landscape, I would agree.
I would much rather not have any wind farms, solar farms, hydro dams, electricity pylons or miles of cables strung across our beautiful countryside.
This is, however, a price we are paying to eventually eliminate fossil fuels and to enjoy cheap, clean and sustainable electricity.
Jeff Rogers, Waters of Feugh, Banchory.
No consistency on the environment
Sir, – I read with interest today the Scottish Greens Twitter campaign to save Loch Lomond from the potential Flamingoland development.
They state that this development must be stopped as ancient woodland will be destroyed and the natural beauty of the area will be devastated.
I can’t help but think there is a little hypocrisy in their campaign when all over Scotland every day areas of ancient woodlands are being cut down, and tonnes of carbon-rich peat are being dug up and covered with access tracks or having hundreds of tonnes of concrete poured into it.
Beautiful unspoilt rural areas are being turned into industrialised landscapes, and local residents’ daily lives are being blighted with shadow flicker and the thudding of turbine blades turning 24 hours a day.
Tourism business owners nervously wait to see if those that love the peace and quiet and enjoy the wildlife and nature found there will still visit when hillsides are covered in turbines.
Can we look forward to their campaign to stop this destruction of Scotland wonderful wild lands that is being carried out by windfarm developers? No, I thought not.
Tracey Smith, Rosehall, Lairg.
Whole country is in limbo
Sir, – Yet another day of rail strikes and others threatening.
I am not surprised, I do agree with them all, because they are trying to tell the people of this country that things have got to change as we sit and wait with a government with no authority and lumber through a wait for Tory members to make up their minds who will give them a top job by the next Prime Minister.
The time lapse between Boris resigning and the election is unacceptable to leave the country in limbo for so long when so many issues need attention right now.
Average wage earners are finding it hard to make ends meet and low earners are cutting meals and going to food banks every day. We have to wait another month before a government is formed.
D. McKay, Provost Hogg Court, Torry.
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