(Letter by local Green Hazel Agombar published in the Hampshire Chronical)

Sir,

I was appalled to read the comments from the chair of New Alresford Town Council - Ken Yeldham, in last week's Hampshire Chronicle (9th October) about the Alresford Greening Campaign. I would like to challenge Mr Yeldham's criticism that the group is 'spitting in the wind'. Firstly Alresford is far from alone. They are one of many, many grassroots group across the UK which are being established to address the issue of climate change. The combined efforts of this are enormous and help to put pressure on the UK government to pass a strong Climate Change Bill. Here just in Winchester we have groups such as Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC) and Friends of the Earth who are working to the same aims.

Secondly, Mr Yeldham trots out the tired arguments about the pollution created by China and India's industrialistion which are used as an excuse for the UK to do nothing. I'm afraid that Mr Yeldham has failed to grasp how interdependent the world is. It is the wealthy countries - mainly Europe and North America - that have caused the problems of global warming, and therefore have the responsibility to take the lead in finding a sustainable way forward. China and India need to develop - we should be promoting the techonologies that enable them to do so without destroying our shared life support systems. Indeed, it will be great for our economy to be at the forefront of developing low carbon technologies.