Letter: Stay at home

Sir: In a week in which your news coverage has been dominated by our need to curb the damaging effects of car use, it is extraordinary that you should perpetuate the myth that a long-haul jet flight to look at elephants is green tourism. ("Cry freedom", 23 August). It is hard to get much farther from the truth.

Flying is the most energy-hungry means of travel and each passenger will produce about two tonnes of carbon dioxide for the southern African holiday mentioned. Much of the pollutants are then injected into a vulnerable part of the atmosphere.

It has become necessary to encourage such tourism only because southern nations are driven by the cosh of debt-repayment programmes imposed upon them by the rich nations of the north.

If you want a green holiday, it would be far better to catch the train to St Ives and donate the money saved to organisations that are fighting to overturn this global economic madness.

MARTIN HUGHES-JONES

Mid Devon Green Party

Sampford Peverell

Devon