From Jim Hart
Alex Galloway’s facts concerning the unchanging energy demand per household
from 1970 to 1993 give a distorted picture of energy consumption in Britain
(Letters, 3 October, p 56).
Total national energy consumption did increase during this period, as did
consumption per individual. Presumably the money saved on domestic fuel bills
has been spent on air travel, petrol, an increase in the proportion of a
“household” occupied by the individual, and generally more consumption of goods
that require energy to manufacture.
This was essentially the point made in your Focus article (This Week, 5
September, p 18). I wonder what reaction the author, Fred Pearce, would have
received if he had made the following assertion: all fossil fuels located near
enough to the surface to be extracted with a net energy yield will eventually go
up in smoke, and so we need only assess the costs and benefits of prolonging the
process compared with continuing as we are. Personally, I wouldn’t dare make
such an assertion, but you have to ask.
j.hart@napier.ac.uk
