Any reaction less than a war footing spells disaster.

Ian Wray again attempts to misinform readers about climate change (Sheffield Telegraph 20/07/23), but I don’t think they will fall for his ridiculous argument. 

He tells us there are many scientists who state there is no climate emergency. Who are they? I challenge him to name some suitably qualified climate scientists who do not believe we are in a climate emergency. I doubt if he will be able to name one. 

He then goes on to quote John Clausser who he describes as a Nobel prize-winning physicist. An understanding of quantum mechanics does not make someone a climate scientist. Wikipedia informs us that Clausser is on the Board of Directors of the CO2 Coalition, which is funded by far-right American organisations to spread misinformation about climate change. I wonder why Ian Wray is trying to misinform us. 

The scientific consensus that humans are altering the climate passed 99.9% back in 2021. This was based on a survey of nearly 90,000 climate-related studies. There is no doubt among experts that burning fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, coal, peat and trees, is heating the planet and causing more extreme weather.

The debate has moved on and it is encouraging to see the BBC  running a news item today with strong words such as: “Scientists fear some worst-case scenarios are unfolding”. They report “These records constantly being broken are not yet a sign that the climate is in collapse”. Scientists “say there is time to use the solutions we have to keep the planet as liveable as possible”. 

“As liveable as possible” is not reassuring.

But most broadcasters and newspapers still won’t spell it out – we face irreversible tipping points, like the loss of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. If this occurs it will devastate food production in the UK. We must wake up and radically change our energy, agriculture, transport and planning policies to stop our CO2 emissions. 

The debate is not about whether we are in a climate emergency, it is about how quickly we can act to try to prevent billions of human deaths and the extinction of many species. Any reaction less than a war footing spells disaster.

Graham Wroe

Ian Wray’s letter in the Sheffield Telegraph, 20/07/23