THE events of the past weeks in New Orleans are surely tragic. However, the weather isn't the only factor affecting the increased cost of fossil fuels and home fuel bills.

It is something that successive governments seemed to have failed to come to terms with. If they don't, I predict there will be even more stockpiling of fuel by those who can afford it.

It is a sham that our government has only recently begun to accept that future oil reserves may not be fulfilled as previously estimated.

According to a report published in May by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, out of the 1,000 or so wells that produce oil in Saudi Arabia, only eight of those make up the majority of estimated reserves. These reserves have been over-estimated.

It would be unwise for any government to rely on estimated reserves of oil from just one source without any effective future energy plan.

Unfortunately, because our government is only guaranteed perhaps five years of power, one can see why and radical change of policy on long-term issues may be something they wouldn't want to involve themselves in. But if we continue down our current route, with rising energy costs and short-term planning, in 2015 when these oil wells run dry it may be too late to start thinking about alternative energy sources.

If we are to combat environmental pollution and secure affordable energy that will serve us all, we need to be working and investing now in technologies that will provide us with the capacity we need to grow.

Ignoring it and leaving it for the next parliament is no good. Something needs to be done now.

Forget the idea of wind farms - they provide for only two per cent of our energy needs, and they won't help get our goods and services to market. What we need are proven technological, viable and affordable solutions. Why is our government not tackling these issues?

The only person in the oil industry who surprisingly agrees with all this is currently shouting from the rooftops, and he is the non-executive chairman of Shell UK, Lord Ron Oxburgh.

Ian Upton

Thomas More Close

Bolton