Letter: Kyoto: just a start

Kyoto: just a start

Sir: We need a 60 per cent cut in carbon-dioxide emissions just to stop the levels in the atmosphere rising. If a fug builds up in the pub on Saturday night we can open a window to let it out, but with CO2 we have to rely on reduced discharges and the long-term uptake of the gas by plants and the oceans to restore the natural balance.

The compromise target for emission cuts agreed at Kyoto represents a regrettably sluggish start to the long haul back to sanity.

TONY ROBSON

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire