Use our money to best effect

Sir, – Regarding your article on the recent Game Changer report released by the Climate Coalition, and the response by the WWF’s chief executive, Tanya Steele (“Climate changes could put golf links in bunker”, The Courier, February 7).

Ms Steele, also a member of the Climate Coalition, fears climate change will bring “irrevocable change” to golf, football and cricket, due to environmental damage to facilities, unless we heed the Paris Climate Change Agreement’s targets for CO2 emissions reductions.

These claims are very misleading.

Perhaps Ms Steele means all the nations making up the Paris Agreement but, if she insinuates the UK can usefully help through total abolition of our mere 1.3% of global CO2 release – and in Scotland’s case 0.3% – that is obviously nonsense.

In fact, without the participation of the “big emitters,” China, the USA and India, the whole programme stemming from the Paris Agreement will fail to prevent adverse climate change effects.

Moreover, the belief in man-made global warming, depending on computer modelling, and so far giving unreliable predictions, is very tenuously based.

Given the huge costs of the CO2 reduction programme, for the UK at least, we would be much better off using the resources for more obviously useful causes.

These include the defence of the realm, and giving extra support to education, the NHS and alleviation of poverty.

The latter is said, for example, to affect at least half of Glasgow children. Dr Charles Wardrop. 111 Viewlands Rd West, Perth.

Mr Gormley may or may not be guilty of anything. However, we have not heard a shred of evidence of any wrongdoing and his accusers may be quite happy if it is swept under the carpet and they do not have to explain their allegations