Most people would not hold their breath in keen anticipation of a government’s energy review, but rarely has the country been more receptive to bright ideas about solving our energy needs without risking damage to the planet. After delivering the review, Tony Blair and other western leaders will troop off to St Petersburg next weekend for a summit meeting hosted by Vladimir Putin in which energy security will top the agenda. It is a reminder that the rich countries of the West are increasingly reliant on energy from nations such as Russia, Iran and those of the Middle East. Nobody in Britain can feel too secure that we are going to have to rely on Mr Putin and his regime, which controls more than a quarter of the world’s gas reserves, to supply our energy.

Whether the motivation is energy security or reducing carbon emissions, we all have an interest in developing other sources of energy. We also have an interest in reducing energy consumption. The government’s plan to persuade manufacturers to phase out standby buttons on televisions and other electrical products may sound like a gimmick, but it could cut the country’s electricity bill by £740m and reduce carbon emissions by 3%. Unplugging mobile phone chargers could free enough electricity to power 66,000 homes for a year. Lots of small measures can add up to a big effect. People are keen to respond by buying energy-efficient fridges, cookers and cars. As the energy review will make clear, we have barely scratched the surface.

There are also hard choices in energy, especially those that affect the environment. A proposed 10-mile Severn barrage could generate 5% of our electricity demand but objectors say the environmental cost will be substantial. This newspaper has opposed wind farms across swathes of Britain’s countryside. For new nuclear power stations to be viable, the government must answer questions about the safe disposal of dangerous waste. These are hard questions with no easy answers. The one thing we cannot afford is to ignore them.