EXTINCTION Rebellion and shamefully, Ovid-like politicians, would have you believe we are on the brink of an apocryphal global warming!

For those who might foolishly believe this climate change hogwash, do not despair, as we are not!

Educated and knowledgeable folk are fully aware we live on a dynamic planet and that climate change is a natural occurring event. Indeed, scientists of any repute will tell you climate change is real and has been occurring with natural-driven cold and warm cycles for as long as the planet has existed - from glacial to interglacial – the last major Ice Age ending about 11,500 years ago.

We are now in the Holocene epoch and there should be little surprise the Earth has been warming through natural causes since the last Little Ice Age ended around 1870 – with actual temperature increases far less than predicted by theoretical climate models.

There is no real evidence anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a major or dangerous warming influence – on the contrary CO2 emissions offer great benefits to agriculture, forestry and photosynthesis that is the basis of life on our planet, so do not be seduced by the false prophets of doom – without CO2 we will all perish, and that is fact – tulip growers do not pump CO2 in their greenhouses to kill plants, but to enhance growth.

Interglacials last between 11,000 and 15,000 years, thus we are in the countdown to the next Ice Age – it could actually be starting now, or in 4,000 years’ time – nobody knows – but come, it will, as sure as the Earth orbits the Sun!

Then there will a real challenge and we will be very thankful for fossil fuels and any additional CO2 to the atmosphere. So when, a gullible 16-year-old skips school to lecture and hector you about CO2 emissions and preach false science, tell them to go back to school, pay attention, learn their lessons (truth) and thus realise the ‘real’ threat to Homo sapiens is that of over-population - looking in the mirror and acknowledging (although no fault of their own) they are part of the problem!

They will also learn our current geological period (Quaternary) has the lowest average CO2 levels in the history of the Earth. They will learn the atmospheric composition of CO2 is just 0.04 per cent and is ideal for life. They will learn the contribution of ‘greenhouse gases’ to atmospheric warming consists of 90 per cent water vapour, six per cent CO2, two per cent methane with others at two per cent - so why is there no discussion relating to the major component, that of water vapour? They will learn that CO2 is correctly written as CO2 – we are being misled by truly ignorant and shameless people.

It is wise to remember Mark Twain's observation: “It's easier to fool the people than to convince them that they've been fooled”.

Have a Happy New Year.

DAVE HASKELL,

Brithdir