Elements of our ‘green future’ a safety concern

I do accept that in a place like Guernsey electrical vehicles should be very successful as long as they have the infrastructure in place and somewhere ‘safe’ in which to charge batteries.

The following week the Guernsey Press carried an article which covered the visit of the president of Environment & Infrastructure to the Forest School.

There she was granted an audience with young Elliot Davies where she discussed climate change with the children.

We were reminded by the deputy head teacher that Elliot has already led a whole school assembly, organised a protest march (with its attendant coverage on local TV news channels and in the Guernsey Press). Now, the article informed us, he and his peers have held discussions with one of Guernsey’s elected members. Well done Elliot. Mum, dad and your teachers are no doubt very proud of you.

I wonder whether the good deputy was able to explain to these very young people just how much of what they take for granted now will still be available for them if/when the island achieves net-zero. Clothing and shoes will need to be made of fur (if we have any animals left) or grass, which may be in short supply (due to the lack of CO2). Televisions, computers and phones will be ‘things of the past’ and holidays will not be taken ‘off-island’. This of course, may provide young people with a deeper insight into how humans existed in pre-history.

Now that we know that the President of E&I is open to answering questions I would like to put a few to her which, in my opinion, are of great concern to our safety.

n What are we planning to do with solar panels once they reach the end of their useful lives?

n When wind generators expire, what will become of all their parts?

n On the occasion of EV batteries going into ‘thermal runaway’ what measures are in place to deal with the event?

n Will the population have proper warning to stay indoors with all doors and windows closed?

n What will happen to all the gallons of water used to extinguish the fire? Will it be safely collected and dealt with so that it does not pollute our water supplies?

The public need to have assurance that our water will be tested regularly against the horrendously dangerous toxins contained in lithium-ion batteries and the run-off from solar panels during periods of heavy rain and/or hail.

Perhaps others may have further questions to put to the president. After all, the taxpayers will be providing the £1.73bn to bring her dream to fruition.

P N Hugo

St Andrew’s

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, responds:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reply to your reader and allay their concerns about returning to prehistoric times, the extinction of all animals and being forced to stay indoors.

While calling these predictions far-fetched would be an understatement, I take the sentiment behind this letter seriously, as I appreciate that some people are genuinely worried by these kinds of claims, which do tend to circulate unchecked online and on social media.

Your reader appears to have picked up some erroneous information and confused a few different issues, so I will take this opportunity to set the facts out straight.

Unmitigated climate change would indeed be a concern – but in common with governments all around the world, the States of Guernsey has committed to reducing the island’s greenhouse gas emissions (which are causing global heating) at a rate fast enough to help avoid the worst effects. This is what we mean by our net-zero objective.

I can assure your reader that it is very much less costly and very much more cost-effective to decarbonise than to do nothing to abate or adapt to climate change, the costs of which (in both financial and human terms) are truly worrying.

To answer the specific questions, regulations ensure solar panels do not contain harmful levels of toxins and they – along with wind turbines – can be safely recycled at end-of-life, with the EU taking significant steps to reuse resources and prevent waste.

EVs are 20 times less likely to combust than petrol and diesel vehicles, and their safety is improving year on year, alongside fire services’ ability to manage lithium-ion battery fires (including mobile phones, laptops and vapes). Our water quality is very closely monitored and well protected – as was demonstrated when there was a battery-related fire a few years ago adjacent to one of the island’s largest reservoirs. These kinds of details, along with many others, are all taken into careful consideration when we look at the big picture.

The net zero target is important to Guernsey’s finance sector and our island’s ability to operate on the international stage. But leaving that aside, what it means for islanders in their everyday lives is more energy efficient homes, which are safer and more comfortable to live in; lower energy bills; fewer health risks; more options for moving conveniently around the island; an agricultural sector less dependent on chemical inputs; and cleaner, stronger ecosystems, including the sea that surrounds us. Apart from the fact it will cost us less money – both as consumers and as taxpayers – than trying to cling to the old brown economy (based on fossil fuels) while the rest of the world transitions to the cleaner, more affordable green economy (based on low-carbon sources), the co-benefits of moving with the times are compelling reasons to do so in their own right.

And for the avoidance of doubt, your reader is totally mistaken in believing that this comes at a £1.7bn price tag. He/she is referring to the projected costs of powering the island over the next 27 years. While the States has approved this strategic direction for the island’s electricity supply, the States has not committed to any significant expenditure to achieve net zero, and importantly the cost of the strategy is £200m. less than the costs of continuing to provide electricity to the island in the way we currently do. That’s one of the reasons it was so strongly supported not just by the States but also by the energy industry and business sector.

I’d encourage people to read it at gov.gg/electricitystrategy. (Spoiler: it doesn’t address making our clothes out of grass, because this is not a thing. And yes, as long as we don’t let climate change run absolutely rampant, there will still be grass.)

On an important note, I’m sorry that your reader has what seems to be a sarcastic comment for the efforts of thoughtful, engaged young students. I for one am genuinely impressed to see Elliot and his classmates and many other young people taking time to understand some of the important issues affecting our island and our world, and to be part of the solution and highlight what they see as the big issues facing their generation. I’m proud to be playing a part in making their future better, with some benefits in doing so that we can all enjoy.