Nobody at Cop28 is addressing the real issue with climate change

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Climate activists are deluded if they think anyone can wave a magic wand that will provide an alternative to fossil fuel (AP)

Once again the annual Cop conference has shown that those making all the demands about stopping the use of fossil fuels are living in fantasy land. Instead of arguing over and over about the use of the term “phase out”, the meeting should have been addressing the real issue: that fossil fuel use will continue to be used until we rethink our global transport.

All the ships and aeroplanes will continue to rely on fossil fuels until they have new engines that work sustainably. Similarly, we have to have a world where there is sufficient infrastructure and charging points so electric vehicles can become more predominant as an alternative to diesel and petrol cars.

The meeting in Doha would have been far more productive if it had focused on how the world is going to develop new modes of transport. One thing is very clear. The Greens and climate activists are deluded if they think anyone can wave a magic wand that will provide an alternative to fossil fuel for many decades to come.

Ray Warren

Address Supplied

A little lie?

Our government joined the 200 nations and signed the Cop28 treaty which promised a deep and rapid cut in fossil fuel emissions. One assumes this means that Rishi Sunak will U-turn on his policy to offer 100 new North Sea oil contracts, which was announced earlier this year.

Alan Pack

Canterbury

Europe is shifting to the right

Many of Europe’s nation states including Belgium, Britain, France, Ireland, Spain and Sweden are facing political and social divisions over the controversial issue of immigration and asylum, exacerbated by the massive increase in illegal migration fuelled by criminal trafficking gangs.

The EU elections in 2024 could see a dramatic shift as right-wing parties are gaining ground due to the inability of many governments to listen to the concerns of the people and implement an effective management system for the flow of migrants and asylum seekers.

Peter Fieldman

Madrid

The cost of Tories

At least £400m for sending zero asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

More than £22.4m for the Bibby Stockholm barge.

It seems the Tories have unlimited money to detain people whose only “crime” is trying to escape war, persecution and catastrophic climate disaster.

But next week the government will tell striking junior doctors that there’s simply “no money” to pay them a decent wage.

Sasha Simic

London

How long is the string of sleaze?

The BBC reported today that Tory MP for Blackpool South, Scott Benton, was suspended from the Tory party for offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions on behalf of gambling industry investors. Yet another by-election may be on the cards and following hard on the heels of suspensions of other Tory MPs Peter Bone, Chris Pincher, Neil Parish and Owen Paterson it adds to the growing string of sleaze in the Tory party.

It all reminds me of the “Cash-for-questions” scandal in 1994 when Tory MP Neil Hamilton was forced to resign having taken cash from Mohamed al-Fayed to ask questions in the House, similarly building on the string of sleaze in the 1990s involving Tory MPs like David Mellor, Alan Clark, Tim Yeo and Jonathan Aitken.

I well remember Tony Blair standing at the dispatch box waving to seated prime minister John Major opposite and saying “bye, bye!” shortly before he won his landslide victory in 1997. Perhaps Kier Starmer will feel confident enough to do the same to Rishi Sunak next year!

John Rayner

North Dorset