You make much of the fact that Exxon predicted climate change accurately in the 1970s ands 80s (Revealed: Exxon made ‘breathtakingly’ accurate climate predictions in 1970s and 80s, 12 January). But so did many other credible scientists at the time, in public; Exxon’s wretched denial of the crisis doesn’t absolve the rest of us. Those who could have acted for change when it would have been cheap and easy – especially politicians with short electoral cycles, but perhaps also journalists – chose to disbelieve or focus elsewhere. This is still largely the case. Although there’s lots of talk now, action to date has been pretty ineffectual: the steady rises in atmospheric CO2 levels continue, essentially unaffected so far by any climate agreement or action.
Dr Kimon Roussopoulos
Cambridge
• I was in my late teens in the 1970s when Exxon was making its predictions about climate change, and I joined Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Green party to try to make a difference. My own family was not convinced and called me a daft tree-hugger. Most media outlets took the same stance. Anyone, including academics, who wanted to start a meaningful debate was shouted down and labelled foolish.
