Having enough money to cover all one’s expenses is “living within your means”. Individuals and countries should apply similar principles to the whole range of their activities.

Scotland has an aging population but not have enough young people to look after the elderly, the tourists who visit, nor to harvest its fruit and vegetables. The population is more or less static but a shortage of workers means it relies on temporary workers from abroad. To eliminate this reliance it is necessary to change our expectations, to live within our means in the widest sense.

Climate change is a considered the most serious threat to the world and the main cause is the burning of fossil fuels. A number of words and phrases are being used in misleading ways such as bioenergy, carbon capture, carbon credits, green energy, greenhouse gas, net zero, rewilding and green washing.

World population is increasing by 0.9 per cent per year. This is rarely mentioned and is the biggest threat to a world living within its means. People expect their living standards to rise but this should come from increasing efficiency and not from increasing the plunder of the earth’s natural resources, nor by increasing pollution. Some of our leaders, such as Tony Blair, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Prince William set a bad example by having more than two children.

Having more than two children is irresponsible, believes reader (Picture: Adobe)

How will Scotland’s massive investment in peat restoration, wind turbines and solar panels etc aid the stabilisation of the world’s population?

Graham Tuley, Inverness

Regrettable decision

Humza Yousaf has posted on social media his concerns about the Govan Bank of Scotland branch closing. But is this merely virtue signalling? His post suggests no solution whatsoever, presumably because he has no solution. Most of us regret bank branch closures and particularly the impact on older customers while we carry out banking transactions online.

The Bank of Scotland, wholly owned by Lloyds Banking Group, is, in turn, owned by shareholders. Ultimately, banks are businesses, not charities. Surely, the reality is that if the SNP administration wants to stop branch closures, it must intervene financially with all major banking groups operating within Scotland. Hypothetically, Yousaf could hand taxpayer cash to banks to incentivise them to keep open branches.

Obviously, it would be financially imprudent and politically unacceptable for Yousaf to gift our money to highly profitable banks to enable them to pursue non-profitable commercial activities. Instead, all he seems capable of doing is desperately attempting to win votes by whinging about a longstanding business process, which, while arguably regrettable, is inevitable.

Martin Redfern, Melrose. Roxburghshire

Take a slow boat

Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater's policies have been a total disaster. There is a solution which might appease SNP supporters. Scotland already has seven international offices, one of which is in Beijing, China. First Minister Humza Yousaf should instruct Harvie and Slater to go and set up Scottish Embassies in India, the Arab Emirates and the numerous gas, oil and petrol and coal-rich countries which have no intention of reducing their nasty emissions. It is certain that Patrick and Lorna's persuasive powers will be able to get China and these countries back on the green track.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

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