No futile gestures

It IS always a pleasure to read The Scotsman, but the issue on 9 August was especially so for two reasons.

First was your report that Tony Abbot, the Australian opposition leader, had pledged to cut carbon emissions by 5 per cent by 2020 through tree planting and not by a carbon tax or carbon trading.

He then said: "What we will never do, though, is damage our economy with futile environmental gestures".

Contrast this with the posturing of Scottish politicians who trumpet a 42 per cent reduction on 1990 figures by 2025, which is, in effect, an impossible 61 per cent on 2010 figures.

I suggest "a futile environmental gesture" which will ruin our economy.

Then the Letters page had scathing comments from Ron Greer and David Haskell about renewables. Both Denmark and Germany have, despite thousands of wind turbines, dramatically increased their CO2 emissions and not been able to close one conventional power plant due to the unpredicability of wind. Germany is even building five new power plants.

CLARK CROSS

Springfield Road

Linlithgow