International action on CO2 is hopeless

IN reviewing effects and significance to us of climate change and global warming, Dr Matt Winning omits some vital points (“Climate change: time to take tough steps,” Agenda, The Herald, August 9).

Some commentators, predicting fiery doom for our later generations, see current heatwaves as a warning of failed natural climate control. They say “we must take action now”, but do not specify who “we” are, the UK, Europe or the wider world? That is important, with international disparities in governmental policies on how to react, that is, prophylactically or ad hoc, as best we can, as climate-based problems arise.

In the West and Australasia, the precautionary principle of curbing greenhouse gases holds sway, at vast costs. In most other global areas, notably China, the

Indian Subcontinent, Africa, no real attempts are made at decarbonisation; ongoing, increasingly coal-fired industries and electricity generation continue, allowing industry and national development to proceed unhampered. Thus, internationally, reducing CO2 output varies hugely, with greatest success in the US, where switching to shale gas, relatively poor in carbon, has reduced emissions of “greenhouse gases”.

The proportions of CO2 from the UK and Scotland are, respectively, trivial at 1.3 and 0.13 per cent of global output.

Computer model-based predictions of global warming have failed for the last two decades, a “warming pause”, indicating poor understanding of very complex mechanisms; there is no proof at all of the efficacy of decarbonisation in influencing the climate.

Mr Winning does not describe these vital variables and the evident unpredictability of climate changes based on computer models, thus exemplifying “garbage in, garbage out”.

To sum up, insuperable disparities of reaction, invalidity of predictive theories, dire financial impacts of industrial decarbonisation make international actions a hopeless shambles. Lures of vast government spending has created a bonanza for many investigators and industrialists. Huge sums are being spent, in Scotland most obviously on wind-powered renewables, to generate usually less than five per cent of UK energy,” whatever the turbine promoters claim.

Such monies could much more usefully pay for our NHS, education, and the like.

Some scientists now predict global cooling within 20-50 years, as was earlier anticipated from climate studies and predictions in the

1970s. In his review, Dr Winning has no justice to these problem points. (Dr) Charles Wardrop,

111 Viewlands Road West,

Perth.

I HAVE no wish to be a Jeremiah and I am sure the climate change deniers will vent their outrage at the recent declarations by reputable scientists that we are close to the tipping point with regard to extreme weather events.

We can argue about how much effect human activity is having upon the life of our planet and its sustainability and speculate as to whether much of what we are currently experiencing is part of a global weather pattern or substantially influenced by human activity.

However, no one can deny that we are depleting our natural resources both in the soil and in the sea. Not only are iconic species on the brink of extinction but creatures we have always taken for granted are rapidly disappearing. All of that is directly attributable to human mismanagement. Where we should be stewards of our planet, we have become the ultimate despoilers out of shortsightedness and short-term gain.

How long we can play Jenga with our planet before the results become irreversible in resource terms and climatic consequences we do not really know, but the odds are certainly shortening, if we can believe the evidence so abundantly displayed before our very eyes.

The clock is now at one minute to midnight, unless we take immediate and drastic action to mitigate our deleterious impositions upon the third pebble from the sun.

Denis Bruce,

5 Rannoch Gardens,

Bishopbriggs.