Scotsman Letters: Face masks still have vital role to play in protecting against Covid

UK Government guidance has stated that wearing face masks againat coronavirus remains beneficial

Peter Hopkins (Letters, July 22) claims we don’t need masks “as we have all been vaccinated anyway” despite vaccines waning after 12 weeks and regular boosters being required.

There is, however, UK Government guidance stating that masks are beneficial and we should be careful not to discredit that.

The research concluded with a high degree of confidence that “the evidence suggests that all forms of face coverings, are to some extent, effective in reducing transmission” of Covid-19.

The research panel consisted of experts in infectious disease, virology, microbiology, engineering, respiratory infection, occupational safety and infection prevention and included representatives from SAGE.

Perhaps the Scottish Covid-19 inquiry will establish how effective masks have been. As The Scotsman reported (July 19) it has already cost £7.8 million before a single hearing after facing major delays.

We owe it to healthcare professionals, individuals and families affected by Covid to clarify the effectiveness of face coverings.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Net zero targets

I write in response to the opinion piece on climate change by Lord Deben that ran in The Scotsman on Wednesday, July 19. The article contained unfounded and misleading allegations against our company.

Contrary to the claims in the article, ExxonMobil companies support the aims of the Paris Agreement and efforts to achieve net zero emissions and are committed to advancing effective solutions that address the risks of climate change while supplying reliable and affordable energy to support human progress.

Over the next six years ExxonMobil companies plan to invest more than $17 billion on initiatives to lower greenhouse gas emissions. A significant share is focused on scaling up carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and biofuels.

Through our UK affiliates, we are playing our part in the Scottish Cluster, which has the potential to play a crucial role in enabling Scotland to achieve its net zero goals, and are founder members of the Solent Cluster, which aims to do the same for southern England.

Worldwide ExxonMobil companies have agreed to transport and store for third-party customers 5 million metric tons of CO2 per year (MTA). That’s equivalent to replacing approximately two million petrol-powered cars with electric vehicles

And our products are playing a valuable role in enabling the energy transition – such as advanced lubricants that support the reliable operation of offshore wind turbines in harsh and unforgiving conditions, and lightweight components for electric vehicles that help improve range and efficiency.

There are plenty of other examples of the many ways we will continue delivering solutions that lower the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of our portfolio and help meet society’s growing need for affordable and reliable energy products.

Paul Greenwood, Chairman, Esso UK Ltd, Leatherhead, Surrey

Fossil fuels plea

The Labour leadership’s anger at the hated Ultra Low Emission Zone factor costing them the Uxbridge seat is understandable. The eyes of the people are opening.

But it does not end there. The total absurdity of the masochistic ‘’net zero’’ target could not be illustrated better than by the revelation that 16 million trees in Scotland have been cut down to accommodate wind turbines. That is more than three for every living Scot.

These horrendously expensive in every sense monstrosities on their very best days supply a miniscule amount of the power required to keep us safe and alive. Why not have a referendum on net zero?

Common sense is required. No oil and gas facilities should be closed until guaranteed and reliable replacements are available. Small nuclear power plants should be utilised as soon as is humanly possible. No more of “the emperor is fully clothed no matter what you can see” nonsense.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Heroic Harrier

Mark Boyle was spot-on when he said that Sweden has been using ordinary roads as runways for half a century, thus bypassing vulnerable air bases (Letters, July 19).

Britain, of course, had an even better solution until recently – a high-performance strike aircraft that didn’t even need roads – the Harrier! It shows the idiocy of our current defence chiefs and their political masters that we scrapped this wonderful aircraft before its American replacement was available and reliable enough to fill the hole that scrapping the Harrier left.

Granted it was ageing, but the US Marines and several other countries still continue to use them because of their unique abilities, so well illustrated in the Falklands War, while we currently struggle to put even a partial complement of aircraft on our one functioning aircraft carrier.

Ian McNicholas, Waunlwyd, Ebbw Vale

Watership downed

After 44 years, the British Board Of Film Classification's abrupt epiphany over the content of the film Watership Down came on the same day the government finally granted permission for building at Sandleford: the starting point in Richard Adams novel where Hazel, Fiver and the others rabbits flee days before their warren is exterminated by housebuilders with poison gas.

I'm sure this is merely a remarkable coincidence and in no way a cynical attempt at news management by the BBFC to mask embarrassing headlines for their "sustainable" Liberal Democrats friends, whose council has finally succeeded – after 20 years of trying – in trashing an iconic piece of green belt for profit over need despite massive local opposition.

Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire

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