In his guest column “Just Not Ready for Clean Energy Future” [Jan. 30], Stephen Fox identifies himself as a climate change believer and conservationist but then engages in fear-mongering about the transition to renewable energies.

He questions whether heat pumps are suitable for Massachusetts winters, but many homes in Massachusetts, and in even colder climates, are currently and comfortably heating with newer models of highly efficient heat pumps. These lose some efficiency in very cold temperatures, which could mean higher electricity costs for those who do not have a secondary source of heat, but newer cold-climate heat pumps can still provide adequate heat even on cold winter days.

The writer’s concern that our grid could get overloaded by demand and collapse strikes me as unlikely and alarmist. I am confident that the electric companies that serve Massachusetts are well aware of the projections of increased demand and are working to meet that demand. And although more heat pumps and electric vehicles will increase the demand for electricity, this will be offset by the fact that heat pumps are extremely efficient at both heating and cooling, thus decreasing demand for electricity.

His column also includes misconceptions about Massachusetts’ largest source of electricity, natural gas. Although methane can be produced organically, the natural gas we use is a fossil fuel. Fox correctly says that it burns more cleanly than oil or coal, but the problem with natural gas is the inevitable leakage of methane, which is 28 times more powerful as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas than CO2. As a result, it is a significant contributor to global heating.

The clock is ticking. The hesitant approach that Mr. Fox would take to the clean energy transition is troubling, not only due to his use of outdated data, but because he highlights the risks of taking action now but doesn’t even mention the risks of delay.

The transition to clean energy needs political will. To create political will, we need widespread societal belief in the importance of a timely energy transition. The column’s message of hesitancy, and taking a “wait and see” attitude, discourages belief in both the importance of a timely transition to clean energy and our capacity to achieve it — while both are true. We can’t afford to put the brakes on developing that all-important political will.

Justine McCarthy

Florence