It would be a tragedy if climate change were to foil Orkney project

YOU are quite correct to highlight the threats posed to Scottish ancient and not-so-ancient monuments from flooding caused by climate change (“Climate change risk to some of our world famous heritage sites”, The Herald, January 16).

A surprising omission from the list of endangered sites, however, is that of the Ness of Brodgar neolithic excavation site in Orkney.

This is now gaining international recognition as very probably the most important neolithic excavation anywhere in the world.

The site is at sea-level, at the narrowest point of the Ness, and surrounded by the Lochs of

Stenness and Harray. Years of painstaking work have already revealed an amazing series of structures, and years more work lie ahead before a full understanding of the site will be possible. It will be a tragedy if this work is destroyed by the effects of climate change induced flooding, before the excavation is complete.

But as well as making every effort to protect these sites, it is surely equally important that individuals, organisations, and governments make all possible efforts to prevent climate change, moving society to a low-carbon economy as soon as possible.

Rose Harvie,

82 Bonhill Road, Dumbarton.

DR Keith Baker’s arguments against fracking obviously did not convince Colin Gunn (Letters, January 15), who requires facts. Here is one important fact. The majority of Scots think fracking in the Central Belt is a bad idea. Fracking in the United States is an entirely different scenario, with its wide open spaces where fracking has much less impact. Scotland is a small country with 80 per cent of its population in the relatively densely populated Central Belt. Experts, all of whom have an agenda, can pontificate all they like. However, it seems implausible and a bit naive to suppose that this process would not have some detrimental effect on our terrain and the population close by.

As its shareholders than to the Scottish economy. Scotland is already committed to increasing renewable energy and there is no need for fracking to supply fossil fuels for any purpose. Ineos should continue to import its raw materials and leave our relative fragile countryside alone.

Ian Smith,

Kilmarnock Road, Monkton.