With the present focus on renewable energy and the current proposals for massive solar farms in Essex, I think it is vital to be fully realistic about the very limited role of the UK in combating global climate change.

The crucial fact, which is seldom mentioned, is that the UK accounts for only a miniscule one per cent of all global emissions.

America and China together contribute around 45 per cent, which is almost half.

So even if the UK could reduce its emissions to zero it is patently obvious that this would have negligible influence on the global factors affecting climate change.

A far more realistic approach would be to concentrate our efforts on improving our national and local air quality which can be measured.

There are far too many areas where this is consistently below acceptable standards, and we know beyond doubt that this has a negative impact on general health and wellbeing.

There might be political arguments for the UK attempting to set an example to the world in combating climate change but let us not delude ourselves into believing that our nation can ever make a really significant contribution to this globally complex issue.

Otherwise, we shall continue to be misled into approving large scale “green energy” projects, such as solar farms, which are not only very expensive but achieve very little in relation to climate change and lead to the inevitable loss of swathes of agricultural land and destruction of our precious, irreplaceable rural environment.

Roy W Sach CEng MIET

Walden House Road, Great Totham