WELL done, Western Telegraph, for printing a letter from Mr Blaise Bullimore, pointing out that puffins have now been red-listed, with climate change cited as a cause of their decline. Puffins: not just important to Pembrokeshire sentimentally and ecologically – tourism depends on them hugely.

Then, you reported (November 18) on two community wind turbine projects being refused planning permission.

Green energy schemes, proposed by Pembrokeshire residents, which would have earned their localities muchneeded cash while generating serious amounts of carbonfree power.

What future does Pembrokeshire have, when planning committees only seem to judge renewable energy projects on appearance?

We cannot, as a county, expect other people to save the planet for us while we continue using fossil fuel electricity, thereby accelerating the decline of puffins (and many other species), and driving up the sea level – thus worsening the threat to our coastal communities.

We have to do our bit, and that means accepting turbines and PV arrays on land, and devices on and under the sea.

One wonders – do planning committees properly understand that such installations are serious engineering & infrastructure projects, offering job opportunities for our children and grandchildren?

And that, if such projects are owned by local community members, they bring a lot of cash into the neighbourhood, never mind rates and wayleaves?

It’s high time they appreciated that “sustainability”

is an all-encompassing concept, with huge economic potential.

ELEANOR CLEGG

Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth