AT this tragic time for Japan I join with others in expressing sympathy to the people of Japan and hope that the assistance being offered by countries across the world will help them move swiftly to restore some normality to the usual way of life.
I admire the strong will of the Japanese people to overcome the barriers and get on with the huge task of rebuilding their country – in a sense the same determination I see across Montgomeryshire in fighting for the future of our rural areas.
Alongside the harrowing damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami, a man made source has created grave concern.
Radiation from Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has reached harmful levels, after the plant was rocked by a fourth blast.
As this crisis unfolds, the serious impact of radioactive leaks on health and on the environment is worrying people across the world.
This catastrophe has sparked new debate on nuclear. The threat of disaster by human error, design failure or natural disaster can never be controlled and when we bring the radioactive nature of nuclear into the equation, the dangers are simply too high. For me, this puts into perspective the controversy over wind power development in local communities.
We have a free and abundant renewable energy source without the risks or spiralling costs of nuclear or the damage of fossil fuels but we are letting it slip through our fingers.
As countries across the world hold crisis meetings, security summits and special checks to review their nuclear programmes, the UK must lead the way with new ambition for renewable power.
Energy saving and energy efficiency will always have the biggest part to play as we roll out the new ‘Green Deal’.
Harnessing our renewable sources such as wave, wind, geothermal and solar, combined with microgeneration and an effective planning system will develop a secure green energy supply with none of the devastating worries of fossil fuels or nuclear.
Renewable energy sources which will not leave the legacy on our health and economies left behind by the coal and oil industry, or attract the misery of wars from a desire to control oil supplies.
Yet governments across the world are spending more on subsidising dirty forms of energy than on renewables – in fact, figures from the International Energy Agency suggest that governments of the world provided $43-46bn to renewable energy projects compared to a staggering $557bn on subsidising fossil fuels in 2008.
This is without taking into account the huge security and public health costs of fossil fuels and the cost of appalling pollution tragedies.
Renewable power is an energy source that will not blacken our buildings with pollution as the coal industry did in years gone by, or cause the mass destruction of ancient habitats such as tar sands.
It is an energy source that can solve our energy gap now and be removed with no lasting impact on our environment when new technologies come along in the future. It is an energy source that can create new industries and skills, bring thousands of pounds into our rural economies to protect jobs and services, regenerate local areas and stimulate our economy in Mid Wales.
As Japan emerges from this crisis, the challenge across the world is to rebalance our energy supply, so that our reliance on nuclear, coil and oil can be reduced. It’s time to wake up to the need for a green energy revolution and harness the renewable energy that we are lucky to have in abundance.