Brian Parkhurst (Echo, 16th December) highlighted the air pollution impact of biomass boilers like the one planned for Dorchester Corn Exchange.

On the same day the first person having “air pollution” shown as a contributory cause on their death certificate was announced.

Nine year old Ella Kissi-Debrah was the unfortunate young girl who died. Climate change is another environmental problem resulting from biomass burning.

Trees are being cut down to provide the wood chips or pellets currently being burned in UK biomass boilers.

In the case of the Drax power station the trees originate from forests in the USA. Fallacious claims are made for the sustainability of such sources but the wood should be left growing, allowing the tree to absorb even more carbon dioxide.

Instead, the burning of the wood releases carbon dioxide which immediately contributes to climate change, the exact opposite of what is needed during this climate emergency.

As Mr Parkhurst suggests, the UK Government is complicit with this nonsense by supporting new biomass installations whilst at the same time making inflated claims about their apparent commitment to fighting climate change.

Bizarrely the Government differentiates between carbon dioxide which enters the air from the burning of fossil carbon (such as coal, oil or gas) and carbon dioxide from so-called “short cycle carbon” sources like wood.

The fossil carbon dioxide counts as part of any carbon footprint, but the short cycle carbon dioxide released is ignored, because “it was only relatively recently absorbed by growing matter”.

This is crazy! Climate changing effects cannot differentiate between different sources of carbon dioxide.

Each and every new carbon dioxide molecule entering the atmosphere accelerates climate change. It is this Government sanctioned fudge which allows Powerfuel to make the preposterous claim that the proposed Portland Incinerator “could reduce greenhouse gases (…) over its lifetime”.

The waste it plans to burn may well be from “short cycle carbon sources” but the atmosphere will not and cannot conveniently ignore such emissions.

They will contribute to global heating. Councillors in Dorchester please take note and do not be duped by this Government chicanery!

DR GRAHAM LAMBERT

Weymouth