In one of my letters last year, I suggested that we needed to look very carefully at the subject of global warming if we are to survive for much longer as a species.

One might reasonably conclude that Brexit is merely a distraction from the reality of our increasingly precarious lives.

Seriously, I think Theresa May longs for a 'hard landing' so that she can crow about how right she was; like someone in hospital insisting they had the ‘right of way' at the junction!

One of your correspondents, James Farquharson took issue with my suggestion that we should start limiting the use of private cars.

He said only a few people could manage that and they didn’t include him.

However, a couple of years ago, Paris experienced hideous amounts of smog from road traffic.

The French government actioned a plan making drivers use their cars only every other day.

I don't think business came to a standstill. People either agreed to car-share or worked from home.

They could breathe though!

This week's New Scientist dwelt on the subject of how airlines were reducing their carbon emissions by improving engine efficiency and using biofuels.

Like many self-described ‘scientific’ journals, it fills its pages with regurgitated and generally useless information instead of being inventive. It implied that passengers on airlines were the major culprits.

Let's look at the facts.

Total global emissions of carbon dioxide are 32.5 gigatons (32.5 billion tons) a year.

Currently, aircraft account for only two per cent of that.

On the other hand, various figures indicate that globally, cars emit some 6-8 gigatons of carbon dioxide per annum, about 20-25 per cent of the total.

Given the lack of enthusiasm to deal with the subject intelligently like using filling stations to change car batteries instead of using them as battery charging points (with two-mile queues no doubt and cafes to fill the time), am I in a madhouse?

Unfortunately, the world is run by people devoid of common sense. The difference between a well-run company and a failure is mainly down to the fact that successful businesses are run by people who can change their minds. Not much chance of that in UK Limited!

Foresight also helps enormously and is best applied before the sea is lapping at your front door.

The way things are going the last thing Mr Farquharson needs to worry about is how he will get to work ‘when the chips are down’! He might not have job to go to which is accessible by road, with or without his own oxygen supply.

MIKE JOSLIN

Dorchester