I agree absolutely with Mrs Anne Ewing (Letters, Wiltshire Times, March 14) that energy efficiency is extremely important but if we are to avert catastrophic climate change, it is not an either/or, energy efficiency versus renewable energy, situation – we need both.

As we have seen from the extreme weather this year (unprecedented rain in the UK, record heat in Australia, extreme cold in the US) climate change is already here and having a serious effect on weather patterns around the world and this is with only 0.7 degrees of warming. Even if we get truly serious about measures to reduce emissions right now, it will still be hard to hold the warming to less than 2 degrees.

Objectors to local solar farms speak of losing views they love but if we do not replace fossils fuels with clean energy such as solar, we risk losing many things we love to climate change: bluebells, beech trees and some of our wonderful coastal scenery are just some that come to mind. After all, if we are successful with our energy saving or new forms of renewables come along, the solar panels can always be dismantled. For the time being though we must make use of the technology we have.

Rowena Quantrill, Newtown, Bradford on Avon.