Climate truths

Now that we have had an extraordinarily hot summer, many are beginning to accept that the predictions of climate scientists may not be the “Chinese hoax” that the populist genius Mr Trump believes.

In addition, the precautionary principle suggests that we should cut back on carbon dioxide emissions.

Politicians need to take some big and serious decisions very soon. For example, the argument is often expressed on this letters page that current renewable energy technologies have no chance of meeting our winter base load demand.

The politicians have offered no rational answers but many engineers have pointed out that nuclear power is a solution.

However, no UK politician will grasp the nettle of where to site a deep geological depository for radioactive waste.

Other countries such as France, Sweden, Finland and the USA have taken the advice of their national geophysical services and are pressing ahead.

Norway is renowned for its ancient democratic ‘Thing’ meetings, for serious decisions. There is an apocryphal story about a Viking longship being lost at sea. A ‘mast- thing’ (husting?) was held and the crew were found to be equally divided on which direction to take.

However, it was pointed out that one man was an expert with the lodestone and sunstone.

It was, therefore, decided to defer to his view.

Surely our leaders need to accept that they may be geniuses in politics but they must do the right thing and act upon the advice of specialists for these difficult decisions.

BILL GRAHAM Findhorn Road, Forres