Readers' letters - March 12

When it comes to the global warming and carbon dioxide debate, it’s very difficult for Joe Public to determine just where the truth lies.

The gloom merchants have been predicting a virtual hell on earth if we don’t dramatically reduce our current carbon dioxide emissions.

However, a recent paper by an eminent Australian geologist, a professor emeritus of earth sciences at the University of Melbourne, paints a somewhat different picture.

This is what he claims:-

“Take the volcanic eruption in Iceland, for instance. Since its first spewing of volcanic ash, it had, in just four days, negated every single effort mankind has made in the past five years to control CO2 emissions on our planet.

“Of course, you all know about this carbon dioxide that we are trying to suppress – it’s that vital chemical compound every plant requires to live and grow and to synthesize into oxygen for us humans and all animal life.

“It’s disheartening to realise that all of the carbon emission savings we have accomplished while suffering the inconvenience and expense of driving hybrid and electric vehicles, buying fabric grocery bags, replacing £1 light bulbs with £5 light bulbs...well, all of those things we have done have all gone down the tubes in just four days.

“And there are around 200 active volcanoes on the planet spewing out this at any one time – every day. When the volcano Mt Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it spewed out more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the entire human race had emitted in all its years on earth. And there’s the effect of solar and cosmic activity and the well-recognised 800-year global heating and cooling cycle, which keeps happening.

“The bush fire season across the western USA and Australia this year alone will negate efforts to reduce carbon in our world for the next two to three years.

“Also remember that various governments have tried to impose whopping carbon taxes on their people, on the basis of the bogus ‘human-caused’ climate change scenario. They don’t mention ‘global warming’, but ‘climate change’. It’s because the planet has cooled by 0.7 degrees in the past century. Also, we might yet have an Emissions Trading Scheme – a whopping new tax – imposed on us that will achieve nothing except to make us poorer.”

So, who we do we believe? I’m inclined to go along with the professor’s views.

Derek Rogerson

Bamber Bridge

roads

Parking now dangerous

There have been complaints about car parking on Hazelrigg Lane near to Lancaster University (pictured inset).

Because of the parking fees, people leave their cars on the lane south of the university.

When the university expanded and the link road opened, the problem became so bad that double-yellow lines were painted to provide passing places.

The parking spread and so double yellow lines were put down Chapel Lane.

The cars are now parked both sides of Hazelrigg up to and beyond the M6 under-bridge and the situation has become dangerous, for this is a country lane used both by cars and large lorries.

People say “the car parks at the university are empty” but although there are some spaces, this perception is not entirely fair.

In my opinion, the university needs to reduce its parking charges and create more parking spaces.

Stephen Booth

Address supplied

weather

Less snow now

During the 1950s, we had much more snow than today. My family had a milk delivery business, using an ex-army Chevrolet fifteen hundredweight.

If the snow was lying deeper than about six inches, father used to rouse my brother and me very early – before 4am – in order for us to help him fit the chains.

It was quite hard physical work as I remember, but the chains were most effective as long as the council only spread sand on the roads.

If, however, they spread salt, we had to make haste to unship the chains as using them on bare roads would “cut the tyres to pieces” in his words. We rarely had to do this, as quite often only sand was spread, and we usually finished delivery quite early.

I deplore the exaggeration of some forecasters. We have never had dense fog since the very early ‘60s, or really deep snow since about the same period.

Eric Houlder

Address supplied

weather

Sensible idea from USA

Regarding school closures during inclement weather, of course the safety of pupils and staff must always be a priority.

However, on a recent trip to the USA, I found that they have a different approach.

If a day or days are lost because of the weather, the time is made up by docking the equivalent number of days from the school holidays. Thus the students are not disadvantaged and no teaching time is lost. I look forward to this sensible idea been adopted in the UK, although I won’t be holding my breath.

Dr J P Whiteley

via email

gratitude

Thank you to tree clearers

As an older cyclist who uses the cycle path from Morecambe to Lancaster, please could you print a huge “thank you” to the people responsible for clearing the path of a fallen tree!

Not leaving it there, they were back first thing the next morning, giving the path a huge clear-up, gritting and making a gigantic difference for all the cyclists and walkers who rely on this path every day. If it was Morecambe council or/and Lancaster council, I thank all concerned.

It is so much safer.

Loraine MacGinness

Via email