So goblal warming is now a fact (The Argus, June 2) - or is it just a "fact"?

According to many authoritative sources, the average global temperature has not increased since about 1998 and in the southern hemisphere actually dropped fractionally.

The biggest burst of industrial and car-owning expansion happened between the end of the Second World War and the Seventies. During that time the average global temperature steadily dropped, to the point where the "experts" were predicting an imminent ice age.

Global warming, as a scare phrase, seems to be giving way to "climate change". This does not specify change in a particular manner. The phrase is used as if changes in the Earth's climate were initiated by General Motors in about 1990.

In fact, a trend to global cooling would be far more dangerous to our existence than a modest warming, but the only "fact"

that is worth knowing is that at present nobody really has a clue as to what, if anything, is happening, nor how fast.

In any case, until some bright spark works out how to control the sun, it doesn't matter too much what we do - although of course it is always good practice to clean up our act where possible.

I suspect the current fad of climate change panic is really designed to grab more tax and divert our attention from the incompetence and untrustworthiness of our lords and masters.

I would suggest that we clamour to have our hospitals thoroughly cleaned up before we worry about the climatic dangers of flying to Florida or the Med to get a bit of sunshine.

M Boyask
New Church Road,
Hove