‘Noemissions’trial?

Crawford Mackie takes issue with me over my letter criticising Dr Richard Dixon but misses the point( Letters ,4 May)

The recent recommend ations of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) for a net zero emissions target by 2050 will mean a huge change in our UK lifestyles and escalate our taxes and energy bills. However, for China, India and America and numerous others it will be “business as usual”. Countries are still building coal-fired plants and burning fossil fuels.

Surely Mr Mackie would agree that a year-long trial should be instigated before the UK population have to endure the draconian changes CCC want to impose to “save the planet” despite the UK’S miniscule 1.3 per cent of glo - bal emissions.

Politicians, Greens, striking school children, Friends of the Earth, WWF,S top Climate Chaos Scotland and Extinction Rebellion would commit to: no owning or travelling in petrol/diesel vehicles; no online shopping, since the goods are delivered by petrol/ diesel vehicles; no flying; no foreign holidays; no woodburning stoves; no cooking or heating with gas; no washing machines or tumble-dryers; no travel by diesel trains and certainly no goods “made in China”.

If this works then I might be tempted to fit energy-efficient light bulbs and buy an electric car.

CLARK CROSS Springfield Road, Linlithgow You have to hand it to the SNP. When it comes to setting targets they are up there with the best. In particular, in the context of the environment, whatever the Westminster government proposes they see it and raise it.

They are going to phase out diesel and petrol cars by 2032 – eight years ahead of Westminster. And last week they

announced they will eliminate greenhouse gas emission by 2045 – again trumping the UK government. Impressive stuff.

The only slight snag is that in relation to targets which can be measured now and not in the distant future they come up a little short when it comes to achieving them.

Setting aside their routine failure to meet NHS, e ducation and other policy targets, their “flagship” policy to reduce waste being sent to landfill by 2021 is looking somewhat over-ambitious. The arrangements will not be in place.

The solution? Send the waste to England! So used are we to the SNP rubbishing all things south of the Border that we shouldn’t be surprised they intend to follow this up with a few hundred thousand tons of physical rubbish!

Apart from the fact that this procedure is going to cost the Scottish taxpayer well over a billion pounds you have to wonder what effect car ting tons of rubbish up and down the country is going to have on the environment. Maybe they’ll switch from electric to diesel transport at the border.

May I suggest that it would be stronger for Scotland if the SNP could be “world leaders” not only in setting but also in attaining targets?

COLIN HAMILTON Braid Hills Avenue, Edinburgh