Brighton and Hove City Council's lead in aiming to reduce carbon emissions by four per cent year on year is highly laudable and one which Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth fully supports (The Argus, March 24).

However, it is not enough for everyone else to sit back and assume that just because the council is taking action they don't need to too.

If we are to tackle climate change then the rest of the city, and not just the council, needs to raise its game.

The council is in a good position to lead by example but ultimately it can only do so much on its own.

Homeowners and businesses have got to take up the challenge and review their lifestyles and impact on the environment.

One area businesses could take action on is to stop promoting the use of the car. Quite often they advertise deals giving customers free parking or reduced petrol prices, yet there is rarely any reward for people walking, cycling or using public transport.

This, combined with the unwillingness of politicians in tackling traffic congestion, is probably why transport is a source of rising carbon dioxide emissions at a time when emissions need to be dramatically reduced.

To solve this problem, bold and radical thinking is needed, such as reducing the amount of city centre car parking rather than increasing it.

This, alongside improvements in public transport and better cycling facilities, would reduce the number of cars in the city, reducing congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions.

The proposed redevelopment of the Brighton Centre offers a perfect opportunity to achieve these aims.

Redeveloping one of the car parks on this site would also create more space for the development, bringing greater benefit to the city as well as potentially making the whole scheme more affordable.

But do the council and, perhaps more importantly, the developers have the vision to see this?

  • Chris Todd, Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth, Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton