Letter: Tackling car culture

Sir: Some of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution ("We are a nation of car addicts", 19 September) are identical with those put forward in our recent report, Consumers and the Environment: Can Consumers Save the Planet?

We think the commission is right. Radical action to tackle our environmentally damaging car culture is an urgent priority if the UK is to play its part in saving this planet.

Encouraging less dependence on private cars and improving car design (more efficient combustion and transmission systems, better aerodynamics and tyre-rolling resistance, lower overall weight) are part of the solution. Alongside the development of an affordable, convenient integrated transport system, this is the only way the UK can hope to meet its Earth Summit carbon dioxide emission goals for 2010. Failure will only intensify the global warming that threatens the planet's future.

DAVID HATCH

Chairman

National Consumer Council

London SW1