The climate, and its impact on resources, is the ultimate regulator of all forms of life on the planet. Your leader pulls no punches (Climate change: time to get radical or die trying, Editorial, August 27). By 2050, today's lifestyle will no longer be commensurate with the speed of change it has largely created. A modern population divorced from the values of the land has little understanding of the self-discipline required in feeding itself and is liable to continue on its hedonistic path.
Building defences will be neither adequate nor in time. Raging wildfires and Hurricane Harvey are a taste of the problem. The impact of world economics will be dramatic. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide trigger the release of the 20 times more dangerous methane. Plundering the nitrogen cycle by modern farming releases the 200 times more potent nitrous oxide.
The most dangerous solution will be geo-engineering, attempting climate control at global level to safeguard the profligate behaviour of an invasive species lacking basic intelligence. For the masses there is no way back to the land. Bold, informed politicians who understand the meaning of symbiosis are vital for survival. Take the lead, Scotland.
Iain R Thomson
Cannich
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