Letter: Chilly tactics

James D Brown and Alan Hinnrichs (Letters, 1 February) do themselves and their arguments no credit in the language they use to describe those who take a different position.

"Loony extremes", "deniers" (with its allusion to denial of a historical event), and "flat-earthers" is the language of polarisation and polemic rather than of logic, reason or evidence.

Nor does the appeal to authority, by quoting James Hansen, Director of Nasa's GISS, help. I have followed his pronouncements over some years. I find the arguments, conclusions and credibility of Professor Richard Lindzen of Massachusetts Institute of Technology more compelling. He asserts: "Given that the evidence strongly implies that anthropogenic warning has been greatly exaggerated, the basis for alarm due to such warming is similarly diminished."

Public policy has tended to follow Hansen over Lindzen, in my view, wrongly. Messers Brown and Hinnrichs may wish to link Professor Lindzen and I to the "looney extremes" or "flat-earthers", but their tactic does not make their assertions any more correct.

CLLR CAMERON ROSE

City Chambers

High Street, Edinburgh

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