YOUR correspondent’s letter (Climate emergency, December 14) prompted me to read the minutes of the council meeting at which the climate emergency was declared.

The preamble cites various learned references, and states “it is imperative that we take the boldest steps to reduce our CO2  emissions from their current 6.5 tonnes per person per year to less than 2 tonnes as soon as possible”

To give this some perspective, the commute to Gloucester in a fairly frugal car generates 2.63 tonnes of CO2 per annum and heating an average house using mains gas generates 2.7 tonnes.

Achieving this will be a considerable challenge.

Later in the minutes is: “The Forest of Dean is well-placed to champion rural decarbonisation. The district has huge carbon sequestration potential with 27,000 acres of public forest estate (21 per cent of the total district area), and abundant clean, renewable resources (solar, wind and tidal lagoons) to become 100 per cent self-reliant on zero-carbon energy.”

“Self-reliance on zero-carbon energy” is an even bigger challenge as it rejects the use of fossil fuels, nuclear and offshore wind energy.

For example, the energy needed to heat the 40,000 homes predicted by 2030 will require a further 400 wind turbines of the capacity of the Alvington turbine, or 2,941 acres of solar farm, (assuming 100 per cent storage

efficiency), or a balance of the two.

Of course, to use this energy we will all have to convert to electric heating, which will increase heating bills by on average £1,500 per annum.

Nationally, industrial energy use is just over half that of domestic so another 200 or so turbines or solar equivalent will be required to supply this need.

Energy will also be required to charge the electric vehicles we will all be compelled to purchase.

Using the Gloucester commute example, one acre of solar farm per 70 vehicles will be required.

A fully costed action plan is scheduled for July 2019 which is just after the May elections.

I do hope that councillors seeking re-election will not dodge the difficult questions of where these turbines and solar farms will be sited and at what cost, with a “wait until the report is published” response.

– Name and address supplied.