We are unable to halt the process of Climate Change because governments have failed to adopt a cohesive plan of action at COP26.

They have offered us only a ‘hotchpotch’ of unconnected measures without the ‘framework’ of an international plan of action to hold everything together.

Ironically, their pathetically small offerings appeal more to the major polluters of our planet, the coal, oil and gas barons.

Their profits are rising inexorably as their fossil fuels ‘of every colour except green’ destroy Earth’s species.

George Monbiot made the point in the Guardian of 20th October that we are avoiding the challenge of treating Climate Change as importantly as if we are ‘going to war’.

For example, our actions so far have been infinitesimal compared with the sacrifice, determination and commitment we were prepared to invest in defeating Hitler. The following day the Guardian reported that nations with huge reserves of fossil fuels were already displaying a lack of interest in COP26. It’s not hard to see why; they want to protect the sources of energy which have made them rich. Coal, oil and natural gas were once essential to our growth and prosperity but now threaten our very existence.

Companies and countries with huge quantities of indigenous fossil fuels are treating global warming as just another opportunity to make money.

Already, they are putting forward ideas of how to produce ‘blue hydrogen’ using stocks of ‘dirty’ fossil fuels when green sustainable hydrogen can easily be produced from sunlight. My dread is that our politicians will continue deferring to the greed of carbon dioxide-emitting industries. Inviting their representatives to the COP26 conference is rather like ‘giving arsonists boxes of matches to play with in a wooden house’. It would be wiser to treat them as our enemies.

For a mere 1.3% of the cost of the average house, we could fit every one of our roofs facing South, East or West with self-financing solar panels.

Why not include schools, office blocks, factories, supermarkets and stations too? Let's get serious and make a difference. Currently, all we can hear are mutual condolences.

This conference was a marvellous opportunity for us to take the lead. We wasted it on parables without proposals.

Mike Joslin

Dorchester