Tomorrow’s fears

Whatever one might think of the morality of only looking after “today’s people” as suggested by Malcolm Parkin (Letters, 10 February), it is not the case that dangerous global warming is safely in the “distant future” as he imagines, and nor are present economic difficulties significantly the result of attempting to forestall that danger.

The latest IPCC report, which summarises the research of the scientific community, finds that continuing to rely upon fossil fuels would cause a likely increase in global temperatures of 2.6C to 4.8C (relative to recent levels) during the last two decades of this century, well within the lifetimes of today’s children.

No species worthy of the name Homo sapiens would allow such dangers to develop unchecked, while merely hoping Micawberishly that something will turn up to rescue it.

Roy Turnbull

Nethy Bridge

Inverness-shire