Letter: Under scrutiny

The recent articles by Lord George Foulkes ("Foulkes hits out at MSPs' failure to challenge officials", 21 September), and Brian Monteith ("See through this smokescreen on children's health", 20 September), illustrate one of the most serious problems of our time: too ready acceptance of statements from officials and "experts" by MSPs, MPs and media correspondents without proper scrutiny.

This is has happened with the issues concerning climate change and onshore wind turbines. If they had applied proper scrutiny, we wouldn't be proposing to install more wind turbines without building nuclear or conventional power stations. Turbines are generally recognised as only producing intermittent electricity, but this obviously hasn't penetrated the minds of our politicians.

They could also have asked if CO2 is responsible for the warming period 1980-2001, what caused the similar warm periods in the 1890s, 1920s and 1930s? Also, why the general decline in temperatures during the Little Cooling period (1945-78) when CO2 levels were increasing?

DR GORDON COCHRANE

Dargai Terrace

Dunblane