ANTHONY McCARTHY,
Madam, - With reference to your editorial of December 18th, "Taxing Pollution", this is a reactive policy; we need a proactive policy to promote the changeover to sustainable energy.
Successive governments have paid lip service to sustainable energy with very poor policies, which followed the British model rather than the European model.
With the best wind speeds in Europe, we have succeeded in having the worst wind energy policy in Europe. We have failed to capitalise on this resource and with the removal of the tax incentives in the budget (for rich people to invest in wind farms - not the best model) it is estimated that only 15 per cent of the wind energy projects in AER5 will actually be built.
The problem with the wind energy policy in Ireland is that it is structured so that only very wealthy people or wealthy companies can afford to invest due to the poor tariffs etc. Community groups and individuals are not catered for.
This is the direct opposite to most of Europe. In Denmark, for instance, many of the wind turbines are locally owned, bringing benefit into the local communities and providing plenty of energy. Some nights nearly all of the electricity needs for Denmark are supplied from wind power. There are more people employed in the Danish wind industry than in fishing.
Are we going to see a repeat of what happened to our fishing resources in the early 1970s, when billions of value was lost abroad due to the lack of vibrant local industry able to harness the resource?
The annual energy needs for mankind is equivalent to the amount of energy, which falls on earth from the sun in one hour. Fossil fuels are running out and will cause untold environmental damage before they have been exhausted. We are beginning to see the start of resource wars. (Bush the oilman knows this).
Our economy runs on energy. It is time our governments put in place proper policies to ensure that the economy can continue to prosper during the inevitable and painful changeover to sustainable energy use. There is no alternative in the medium term.
The sooner we start the less painful it will be but I fear that we have left it far to late! - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY McCARTHY,
Gardamus,
Mayglass,
Wexford.