It is welcome to see Labour MP Des Turner speaking out on renewable energy (January 10) - and about time, too.

The Greens have been championing this cause for years but are heartened to think Des might be able to persuade his political bosses at Westminster of the increasing importance of exploring all the possibilities with the greatest of urgency.

We have waited far too long to grasp the opportunities allowing our neighbours to develop this technology and sell it to us.

However, there is not a more timely moment to fully explore benign forms of energy production because Parliament has just received a report detailing the amount of nuclear waste awaiting treatment at Sellafield - a 15-year backlog - which, if subject to a successful terrorist attack by an airliner or other means, could make the North uninhabitable for generations.

We await Labour action, not just words.

-Coun Rik Child, Green Environment Spokesman, Islingword Road, Brighton