Scotland must exploit its energy resources to protect its future

Having a token administrative office in Aberdeen (with the boss based in Manchester) will be scant recompense for Scotland if the Acorn project is not progressed

A strategic energy supply plan for Scotland would immediately commit to the Acorn CCS project (which the UK Government initially backed) as pivotal to both environmentally exploiting oil and gas resources and sustaining the future of Grangemouth as an energy hub.

Further development of wind and solar energy resources (beyond Scotland’s basic requirements and besides a progressive move to “zonal pricing”) would ensure “excess energy” did not lead to higher energy bills due to “constraint payments” to wind farm operators but fuelled hydrogen generation, back-up power generation and export to neighbouring countries.

Localised energy generation projects, such as community heating, would be prioritised, while new research and development would seek to harness tidal power in an efficient and nature-friendly manner as nuclear power (with inherent and significant safety concerns) was phased out.

Comprehensive planning aimed at optimising the exploitation of Scotland’s energy resources will benefit both Scotland and the rest of the UK irrespective of political and constitutional changes.

Stan Grodynski Longniddry, East Lothian

TO protect the planet, we must keep the increase in temperature compared to pre-industrial levels to below 1.5C. Industries like solar, wind and battery storage must expand rapidly, and fossil fuels must stay in the ground.

Much has been written about the need to retrain workers already in carbon-intensive industries for a planned transition into decent green employment.

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This means that Rachel Reeves’s plans for growth, growth and growth have to be thrown O-U-T out! We need long-term job creation, resilience and sustainability to withstand health, climate and economic shocks. Transitions take time, resources and vision.

What we need to think about is re-opening ALL old railway lines, FREE public transport everywhere in the UK, FREE solar panels on every roof in the UK, FREE insulation for every property in the UK and FUNDED retraining into guaranteed green work schemes for younger workers.

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Education providers must start offering courses to equip a new generation of engineers, construction workers, plumbers, metalworkers, architects and others to be part of a low-carbon future. Work must always provide living wages, and safe working conditions.

Rachel Reeves and her boss must stop going on about growth and start realising the planet is on fire and no number of targets are going fix it. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Growth has got us to where we are at, and we don’t want or need any more of it.

Margaret Forbes Blanefield

WHEN considering whether to let the NHS become increasingly private, consider this: half a million US citizens are bankrupted each year because they cannot pay their health bills. With that will come loss of home, vehicles, any chance of children attaining higher education and probably also the chance of future health care. Why don’t you ask Wes Streeting to help you out if you need a procedure? Ask not for whom the ambulance calls; it calls not for thee.

M Ross Aviemore

THOSE who say we shouldn’t be critical of SNP cos they are the only party that can deliver it are the same folk who say nothing about the ten years when nothing at all was done.

They can’t face the reality of what’s happened to their party, just like many of us couldn’t face the truth about union.

If they want criticism of the party to stop, then they had better tell the party of independence to get serious and stop leading us all on with promises they don’t intend to keep.

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The SNP know a General Election can be used and Westminster can do nothing to stop us, but they don’t want to do that, they would rather wait for an agreement that they know will never come.

The day they get serious on the supposed main goal is the day the critics stop criticising and start shouting their support again.

Bill Robertson via email

PAT Harvie describes Jordan’s Peterson as fronting “reactionary and toxic” politics, and, if you can decipher anything lucid from Peterson’s verbiage, that’s probably true. However even Peterson can be right sometimes, and in calling out the very dodgy Hate Crime Bill and gender recognition reform nonsense he is probably in line with many of the Scots who are perplexed and dismayed by sinister legislation designed to limit free speech.

Jim Butchart via email