Having read the opinions of Richard J Szypulski (Letters, March 6), I feel the need to point out some obvious facts about what will happen should the Russians apply pressure on this nation by virtue of fuel prices.

First of all, we are in no position to go head-to-head in a military sense with Russia, nor are we capable of competing with them in a financial and industrial capacity.

Next, virtually all of the mining and distribution of gas in Russia is in the hands of a few oligarchs and not the state. Therefore, we should not worry about the rising cost of gas as its value will increase as yields diminish. In other words, we will face a hike in retail costs at some point anyway, so why not now?

As for the notion that fracking is the only realistic solution to this dilemma, I’m afraid that this is in no way viable. We are all too aware that the risk to our water supplies outweighs any perceived benefits of the fracking process.

The real solution to the problem is all around us: recent storms have shown us just how much energy pulsates through the sea.

So, why don’t we invest in planting reefs around our coast?

We could use them to harness the energy in the sea. The double benefit here is that this will produce a permanent defensive ring that will help the battle against coastal erosion.

Why stop there, though? We should build wind farms farther out to sea.

Finally, we need a government that is strong enough to stand up to corporate bullies. We need to start constructing buildings that have no reliance on fossil fuels for energy. The Chinese have already achieved this so why can’t we?

We have a real window of opportunity for change here, so let’s make history and become more self-reliant, starting with energy.

Kenny Lloyd, Norway Street, Portslade