Climate chaos

Rather than providing evidence of scepticism the results clearly highlight how the overwhelming majority of the Scottish public recognise that climate change is happening and that human activity is to blame.

Despite the unprecedented and recent public attack on climate science the opinion poll shows that these have had only a minimal impact on the overwhelming majority of people.

The more stark result is the challenge we all face to distinguish between the weather we experience today and the longer term changes in climate. For example, while Scotland suffered a particularly cold winter the world had the warmest January since satellite records began 32 years ago.While you may have "doubts over climate change" it is out of step with both public and scientific thinking on this.Adopting a position that undermines current momentum to tackle climate change threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people across the world, many of who are suffering the impacts of climate change today.

TOM BALLANTINE

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland

Dalkeith Street

Joppa

David Bird's criticism (Letters 6th July) of the Duke of Argyll is unfair. Unlike many wealthy landowners the duke is refusing to take the easy money that is available for placing wind farms on his land.

As it stands, the current system of subsidies for wind farms is a redistribution of wealth from the ordinary tax payer to the land owning class. Our landscape is gradually being destroyed by these concrete and metal monstrosities which rarely produce the electricity we are promised by politicians and will inevitably lead to higher energy costs for the ordinary person, while these landowners rake in the money whether the wind is blowing or not.

Mr Bird also fancifully suggests that Scotland will be an exporter of energy as long as there are tides, waves and wind. It is much more likely we will end up importing our electricity from England if we rely on green energy to provide the 20 per cent of our electricity he suggests.

If he truly believes in his new green world it would be interesting to know where he thinks our electricity will come from when the winds do not blow and the sea is calm.

ALAN J BLACK

Camus Avenue

Edinburgh