LETTER: "Can the zeal for Net Zero be justified?"

What a shame Sir Keir Rodney Starmer and Baroness Eluned Morgan, First Minister, did not attend the public meeting held by the 'Save Gaerwen Group' at Llandrillo, Sir Ddinbych, rather than visit Brechfa, Sir Gaerfyrddin, (via electric car no doubt), to view a wind turbine, reported in the press as being 100m high.

The Llandrillo speakers addressed hydrology, ecology, loss of habitat - including of curlew and peatlands, livelihoods and well-being. Their presentations including exquisite landscape and wildlife photography were well researched and informed.

In direct contrast the, 'Yes, they're bigger than you think', comment attributed by the media to Sir Keir, was more reminiscent of a quip from Del Boy to another Rodney in another time and place.

The Dee Valley, of unparalleled beauty, is facing turbines of up to 220m in height, over twice the height of the one viewed at Brechfa, the size of which appears to have come as a surprise to Sir Keir.

The developers RWE, in their own Environmental Impact Assessment, acknowledge that there will be 'potential significant effects' on local dwellings; though reassure residents that this will not 'render the property an unpleasant place to live'.

I wonder whether the politicians and developers involved would be happy to have their 'des res' homes reduced to, 'not an unpleasant place to live'? It appears that there is no available appropriate mitigation in place for either curlew nor human. 

Can the zeal for net zero be justified at all costs?  'Proportionality' is a key concept allied to Human Rights and the body of Well-Being legislation in Wales. 

The last Llandrillo speaker had the final and very fitting word by questioning whether the 'potential significant effects' (as acknowledged by the developer) can be justified as a means of achieving such an insignificant contribution to Wales' overall targets. 

At a time when developers are revered as the returning Messiah, we send a plea on the ripples of the Afon Dyfrdwy ('divine river'), itself subject to a 'water protection zone', to Corwen to awaken the statue and spirit of Owain Glyndwr to come to the aid of 'the skint little people' (Alan Bates Post Office Scandal) to do what is right, and restore our faith in a democracy based on ‘chwarae teg’', and the premise that loss cannot always be mitigated, and value (social and landscape) cannot always be quantified in shareholder dividends.

In the meantime us mere mortals can support by visiting http://www.youtube.com/@savegaerwen

Yours faithfully