See and believe

GK Chesterton’ aphorism about belief (John Cameron’s letter, 24 June) was both mischievous and mistaken. “When people stop believing in God” (sic), they don’t believe in “anything”; 
they limit their beliefs to the 
evidence provided and eschew superstition.

The idea that a belief in global warming has replaced Christianity is ludicrous. The former is a scientific hypothesis, for which, contrary to Dr Cameron’s claim, there is supporting evidence (it’s also a rational theory).

A recent report from the 
UK’s National Oceanography Centre shows sea level around Britain has risen 15 to 23cm since 1920 and that, if this continues, by 2095 it will have risen about 68cm leading to severe coastal flooding. The cause is partly melting glaciers and ice sheets and partly the expansion of the oceans as they warm up (at present, the oceans are absorbing much of the heat, but they will not do that forever).

All this is consistent with global warming, mainly caused by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases. It would be foolish to ignore this and other evidence that we are making a mess of the global climate, with little hope that I can see that we can stop it.

Steuart Campbell

Edinburgh