ANTHONY Weeden has the measure of this vital topic. Once we dismiss the ludicrous idea that the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide in any concentrations mankind can generate has much more than a marginal effect in controlling the world’s climate, and that the overwhelming factors are of natural origin over which we have no conceivable influence, we can sensibly get down to planning our efforts to resolve future fuel and energy supplies to enable us to survive, flourish and cope with the inevitable cyclical extremes of climate, both warm and cold, which are certain to be inflicted upon us ‘ere long.

Our politicians do us a great disservice by promulgating the idea, backed by the force of law, that ‘global warming’ is primarily the fault of human activities. Many of our professsional institutions, unfortunately, still echo their silly and pernicious views. Two of them to which I still belong refuse to contemplate the publication of a paper I have prepared demonstrating the IPCC’s technically-flawed exaggeration of this effect. A third has closed its doors on anything which seems likely to upset its support of the ridiculous ideas of ‘carbon footprints’ and the need for ‘carbon capture’!

So much for free speech and open-mindedness in this supposedly advanced technological society!

Roderick Taylor, CEng, MIChemE, MCIWEM, FCIWM; Abbotsbrook, Bourne End.