The proposed wind farm on Lewis represents an opportunity for Scotland to decide if it wants to move into a leadership position in wind and renewable energy resources, or if it wishes to sit on the sidelines and just pretend to engage. At the moment, the arguments for and against the wind farm are muddied by issues related to exactly how much effect its building might have on mechanisms driving climate change and the desecration of the landscape of Lewis and an important eco-system.

On the first point, it seems irrelevant to me whether or not the farm will reduce climate change and the real issue is that we cannot keep on burning fossil fuels because eventually they will run out. We need alternative energy sources and wind is pollution-free. And, of course, to be seen trying to reduce our carbon footprint will help in discussions with other countries which are significant sources of carbon dioxide.

On the second point, I would have more sympathy if a) the site of the farm had particular scenic beauty or if b) it was untouched by human hand and a last representative of some significant type of eco-system. Well let's be clear, the proposed site of the Lewis wind farm is a huge, desolate moorland which has been dug up for years by locals extracting peat. This is not some unique eco-system which houses a score of endangered species. So please, let's get real.

Supporting the development of this wind farm would give a huge boost to the local economy, demonstrate around the world that this developed country is taking seriously the need to switch to renewables and, probably, act as a tourist attraction on Lewis. I realise that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but this beholder thinks that the proposed wind farm would have a very positive effect on a rather desolate landscape.

John Palfreyman, 63c Forthill Road, Broughty Ferry.

In October 2007 at a Scottish Government meeting in Inverness, it was announced that a pilot scheme for Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on Western Isles ferry routes will begin before January 2009.

A study carried out for Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (Hitrans) by Napier University and Pedersen Consulting, entitled Western Isles Ferry Fares Mechanism, found that "The economy of the Western Isles could be transformed through a reduction in fares and changes to the timetable." Furthermore, "More than 700 new jobs and £22.2m a year could be injected into the local economy."

This report was presented to the board of Hitrans in September 2006. The chairman of Hitrans, Charlie King, commenting on the findings of the report said: "This study clearly demonstrates the island's economy could be transformed with a major increase in jobs. We welcome the findings of this independent report which demonstrates the need to reduce ferry fares and significantly alter the timetable, which would stimulate economic and social growth, not just on the islands, but in the wider regional economy."

It follows, therefore, that the Lewis wind farms are not essential for the economic survival and future of the island. When the Hitrans figure of £22.2m is added to the annual income that tourism already brings to the islands (around £50m) then it becomes abundantly clear that these figures far exceed the combined predicted income from the three large Lewis wind farms. The Lewis Wind Power project, for example, would bring just £5.25m in total (source: Lewis Wind Farm - An Overview).

Additionally, the wind farms could never match the expected 700 new jobs that implementing the Hitrans report would create, either in quantity or quality. Also, every person on the island would benefit directly through lower consumer prices, and lower import/export costs for businesses, crofters and livestock movements.

So despite what the Western Isles Council maintains, there are viable and profitable alternatives to the utterly destructive industrial wind farms of which it is so enamoured.

Colin N Maclean, 17 South Bragar, Isle of Lewis.

Objectors have raised concerns about the environmental implications of the Lewis wind farm development, particularly the concerns that the construction of roads and foundations would cause the drying out of peat, which would then oxidise and turn into CO2, negating the benefits of producing power in this way.

I urge readers to look at the actual information on the environmental impact. For instance: A lot of the roads follow the course of existing tracks and roads, although some will need to be upgraded to cope with the traffic required. Where the road goes over deep peat a floating construction will be used.

Existing water courses will be preserved, enabling sufficient drainage but preventing drying out.

Peat extracted for the foundations, etc, will be re-used to reinstate areas of peat that have previously been harvested and restore bogs degraded for gardening and peat fuel.

I write as a concerned member of the public. Current targets are not adequate. The ice is already melting. We need large-scale renewable energy as soon as possible if we are to reduce global disaster. Please note that I have no links with the company.

Anne Thomas, Drumsmittal Park, North Kessock, Inverness.

Developers of Europe's largest proposed windfarm on Lewis moor are giving a completely one-sided picture of the economic benefits to the island.

The project's proposed 181 turbines, together with 140 kilometres of new roads, quarries, substations and pylons, risk destroying Lewis's international reputation for wild open country. If it goes ahead, tourists are far less likely to visit the Outer Hebrides to a degraded environment.

Tourism is essential to the Outer Hebrides, with around 200,000 visitors to the islands every year. The industry contributes 15% of the region's economic output and accounts for some 9% of the island's workforce. A recent study concluded that this development's impact on the area's tourism economy could actually end up costing as many as 140 jobs.

What seems like a quick fix to a fragile economy may well end up blighting the tourist industry for generations to come. If the Scottish Government is serious about its own target to increase tourism by 50% before 2015, it will protect Scotland's reputation for unspoilt landscapes by rejecting this proposal.

Helen McDade, Policy Officer, John Muir Trust, Tower House, Station Road, Pitlochry.

How many Lewis islanders know that industrial wind turbines emit a low-frequency noise associated with vibro-acoustic disease, neurologically affecting some people living in close proximity to such structures?

The Lewis Wind Farm is proposed for the western side of Lewis. The sun sets in the west, therefore during the long summer twilights the rotating turbine blades (181 of them) would cause a shadow flicker across Lewis. Are the islanders aware of this phenomenon?

Turbines have been known to blow over in high winds and turbine blades to snap off or fling ice in similar conditions. With wind speeds in the Western Isles known to reach 120mph, these structures could become dangerous. Are the islanders aware of these dangers?

Has a survey been done to see who would still wish to live on Lewis knowing the above?

How many tourists would wish to visit a once beautiful unspoilt Lewis, covered in turbines?

What "community benefits" could possibly replace the islanders current quality of life? As a tourist to the Western Isles in 2005, I was unaware of any "poverty", often cited as justification for the massive project.

Norma Ittmann, 7 Raleigh Road, Cowies Hill, South Africa.