Tim Harford’s “The selfish guide to decarbonising” (FT Weekend, March 1) highlights by omission the extraordinary fact that we refuse to act on what is plainly right. The same people who would never think of throwing rubbish into a neighbour’s garden think nothing of putting CO₂ into other people’s atmosphere and continually reducing others’ living space.
The UK’s CO₂ emissions make an area twice the size of Greater London uninhabitably hot, every year. Since the 2006 Stern report it’s been public knowledge that the cost of switching to the alternative is modest.
Littering and property theft are not left to the selfishness of the citizen, nor should climate be. In our own flying, driving, heating and consumption and in our governments’ lawmaking we should right this wrong as quickly as possible.
James Denman
Berlin, Germany
