Letter: Not as green as we seem

Sir: The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, is betraying current and future generations of people in low-lying countries and people all over the planet who are at risk of the impact of climate change brought on by global warming.

In threatening to withdraw from the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and arguing that Australia is a special case because it is a big coal producer, Mr Howard is showing not only a lack of compassion but also a lack of intelligence.

In Australia, tourism is now an even greater earner of foreign income than coal. John Howard needs to bow to the inevitable and make the decisions required to secure the future for the planet and its people.

NIKI KORTVELYESSY

European Federation of Green Parties

VERONICA VANN

The Greens (Western Australia)

London NW5