Just so it s clear – I believe climate change represents the greatest challenge the human race has ever seen. And if we re going to get through it, then we need far more inspired and tougher leadership at the local, national and international level than w

Just so it's clear - I believe climate change represents the greatest challenge the human race has ever seen. And if we're going to get through it, then we need far more inspired and tougher leadership at the local, national and international level than we're seeing today (Eco-champion blasts council's feeble backing for green issues, H&H August 16).

At the moment we, and our politicians, are behaving like ostriches with their heads stuck in the sand. As per a letter you published last week, biofuels which use more energy to produce than they generate are not going to be the answer. Nor are fish farms that use 3kg of wild fish to produce 1kg of farmed fish.

And nor is recycling that generates more CO2 than if we didn't recycle (eg Tetrapaks or glass bottles in commingled collections). And so on and so on. We can't go on consuming more than the planet can provide.

Carbon rationing is almost certainly going to be needed. That means everyone will have to decide how they use their annual carbon ration - one flight to Australia or driving a small car at the weekends.

However, at this stage, I find it hard to believe that the public has the appetite for carbon rationing or that politicians have the balls to impose it. I fear we'll need more Hurricane Katrinas, more flooding events like Tewkesbury and Hull, and more summers like 2003 before politicians are prepared to bite the bullet.

Finally, in my piece about the Heathrow Climate Camp, I quoted my fiancee as saying that my being there was a waste of time. She has asked me to point out that what she in fact said was that if I didn't write about the experience more widely (eg by writing an article for the Ham&High), then my participation in the camp would be a waste of time. In other words it is no longer enough for us to do the right thing as individuals - we all need to encourage others to change as well.

Cllr Alexis Rowell

Chair, Camden Sustainability Task

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