Decarbonisation plan lacks reality

Sir, – Dr Jill Belch (Courier letters, November 23),

believes that our continuing to decarbonise in the UK would bring benefits so great in reducing chest diseases and fighting adverse climate changes that meeting its enormous costs – £3 trillion at least – would be justified.

Likewise, it’s inevitably very damaging with domestic and industrial upsets and losses.

Professor Sir Richard Doll’s group, after very extensive, brilliant research, were able to pin the blame on cigarette smoking to explain very worrying increases in lung cancer. They found insufficient evidence to incriminate traffic fumes.

Dr Belch’s claims that decarbonisation could prevent chest complaints is not based on any similarly convincing research.

Heavy vehicles’ engines cannot (yet)

be decarbonised. As to its putative benefits in combating adverse climate changes, there is no evidence, let alone proof, that decarbonisation would be useful.

Indeed, carbon dioxide’s present level of about 400 parts per atmospheric million is just sufficient to allow its role in helping support vegetable growth, the “greening” of the planet,

without which we would die.

Therefore, I say to Dr Belch about our decarbonising, “get real, Jill”!

Charles Wardrop. Viewlands Road West, Perth.

Andrew Griffiths.