IT is a shame that Bernard Peel does not agree with the 11,000 scientists who earlier this year signed a letter declaring that the Earth was facing a climate emergency (Climate change, a big problem, but not an emergency, Craven Herald letters, September 17).

It is a greater shame that his approach is to live with it rather than take action because, as Covid-19 has shown us, being slow to take action leads to unnecessary deaths and disruption.

For those of us who have had the good fortune to live in a developed country with a temperate climate it could be viewed as a ‘big problem’ as Bernard put it. But for people that are only 1-2 degrees away from desertification of their arable land, leading to increases in food and water shortages, war and mass migration, it is an emergency.

The tired ‘India and China’ excuse for inaction takes in no account for world history. These two countries we exploited (e.g. Opium Wars, Bengal Famine) are going through industrialisation later than we did…..because we exploited them. Yet we should do nothing unless they act first?! The U.K’s cumulative CO2 output since 1750 is fifth highest in the world - higher than India.

We were the first to burn fossil fuels. We can and we should now lead the world in being the first to transition to a net-zero economy.

Beginning this transition would provide thousands upon thousands of new jobs to help those who’ve lost theirs through the pandemic.

Also creating the clean-air technology would allow other countries to skip fossil fuels and industrialise using cleaner energy; this would both boost our economy and reduce global CO2 output. Inaction is no option.

Matthew Annable,

Skipton