Bill McGuire makes a simple but powerful and totally convincing point (Why we should forget about the 1.5C global heating target, 12 September). Unfortunately, it comes at a point, in the UK at least, when political understanding of the dynamics of climate change is at a nadir. During Covid we had Sage – the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – and, with some well-known exceptions, its advice guided the actions of the government and saved lives.
We currently face the mother of all emergencies due to the climate, and more deaths, but forget the idea of the government listening to informed, objective advice. Now the recidivists who railed against lockdowns have been given free rein. They reject scientific advice and thrive, as they always have, on ideology fatally mixed with nostalgia. They never accepted the 1.5C target, so will have no difficulty in forgetting it – but, tragically, not in the way Prof McGuire hopes for.
Neil Blackshaw
Whittingham, Northumberland
