From Steve Goodman, Newport:

On many days it’s delightful the Island deserves an amusing reputation for being decades behind other places; however, climate damage denier Paul Dobson, and whoever decided to let him lead last week’s CP letters (see below) with a litany of lies, demonstrate how daft and dangerous that can be. 

As anyone following news should have noticed, for years the “proponents of so-called climate change/global warming” now include almost all of the world’s scientists and almost all politicians; denial has disappeared from the serious discussions.

As Sir David Attenborough reminded us at the last climate-crisis conference and at the latest Davos gathering of many of the powerful people playing such a big part in creating and continuing the crisis that puts all our other crises in perspective, for decades our scientists have been pleading with our politicians to prioritise policy changes required in response to the increasingly serious damage we are doing to our climate, to ourselves.

Basically, because some billionaires like to leave more billions to their lucky offspring, whatever the cost to the less well off and to the natural world, which is all we have to support us, the costs keep rising for everybody’s children.

At the one degree rise we are already responsible for, we are watching coral reefs dying, the effect on food production, and so on, and the continuing insistence on unrealistic ultimately impossible business as usual means we are on course for a catastrophe comparatively few, if any, humans are likely to survive.

If Mr Dobson is, as he says, a retired marine scientist, he should understand what scientists say about rising sea level, rising temperature, the alarming recent increase in ocean acidification from carbon pollution, evidence of adverse change from marine sediments, and so much more of the irrefutable evidence.

Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.

There is a climate emergency, it is already increasingly causing irrefutably serious damage, death, displacement, disruption, drought, flooding, famine, and financial loss, and we are still on course for a complete catastrophe which needs to be acknowledged and addressed by moving now to something like the war footing we needed in World War Two.

Incremental improvements will be nowhere near enough because of the scale of the emergency and the required response. Even in denier Donald’s America, individuals, businesses and politicians are getting on with making the moves needed to halt and then reverse the damage. For example; the city of Los Angeles set up a new overarching department to ensure from now on movement towards carbon neutrality must be the main factor in all city authority decisions and spending.

Closer to home, more enlightened individuals than Paul Dobson (and “a good future for the Island in the coming months and years” leader Cllr Dave Stewart) are joining the call for the implementation of the long-overdue improved political action.

Climate change ‘poppycock’

From Paul Dobson, Newport:

Regarding the letter “climate change” from Stephen Crocker (CP,18-01-19 - see below).

It is a pity he and the 200 other gullible marchers have nothing better to do with their time.

What do they think they will achieve? He states, “despite a wealth of evidence”. I would ask him exactly what evidence do you have Stephen? Where is your concrete proof other than hearsay and gossip which is what most people rely on?

As a marine scientist (retired), I can categorically state there is no such thing as climate change/global warming per se and the only people who think there is are 50 per cent of the world’s scientists, many of whom spend their time sitting behind computers making predictions, the BBC, and those who believe in fairies.

The remaining scientists, most of whom get out and see exactly what is/is not happening as I do, vehemently disagree with the “climate change” theory, including the great Prof David Bellamy, who rightly declared global warming “poppycock”.

Some people will believe anything, even that black is white, without asking for evidence. The climate changes on a daily basis in this country, often several times a day, and what is happening throughout the world is pure natural oscillation and not man made. 

I would agree CO2 levels are increasing but that can only be for the benefit of mankind for CO2 is a fertilizer.

Has no-one noticed how much greener our plants and crops are, and how they ripen faster? This is nothing to do with warm summers, it is solely down to CO2. The greatest contributors to CO2 levels are animals, including humans who put an amount into the atmosphere every time they breath out. Maybe we should eliminate some human beings to “save the earth”? I know where I would start.

These proponents of so-called climate change/global warming can never make up their minds, often contradicting themselves, and correcting earlier false assumptions.

Urgent action needed on climate change

From Stephen Cockett, Ventnor:

On Saturday I joined almost 200 Islanders in a march through Newport to highlight the need for urgent action on climate change.

Despite a wealth of evidence, our environment is undergoing a slow-motion collapse, governments have, for the most part, carried on with business as usual.

This political inertia isn’t surprising when we consider climate change most immediately affects poorer people in far-off lands and the governments focus on the more immediate needs of the economy.

It is, however, an unacceptable situation for a large swathe of the population who care deeply about the natural world and think beyond these shores and beyond the next election cycle.

Assuming that you don’t own an oil rig or power station there is very clearly no downside to improving the environment in ways that can simultaneously combat climate change.

Improving the environment means warm housing, locally produced food, vibrant accessible high streets and decent public transport. I don’t see any controversy there.

What we should not be doing is putting ourselves in a position where future generations have to clear up our mess because it is deemed too expensive for us.

To that end we shouldn’t refrain from a protest because it might be a tad impolite to briefly inconvenience someone.

Instead, we should remind ourselves nature belongs to no one, society belongs to us all and our children trust us with the future.

Given the gravity of the situation we have a right and a responsibility to effect change in ways that extend beyond the ballot box and onto the street to alert our decision makers to the strength of our convictions.