it is human to err and politicians are not exempt from making mistakes.
The 2008 Climate Change Act introduced by Ed Miliband made a few errors unfortunately. One of these mistakes was to target carbon emissions by encouraging the sale of diesel vehicles to unsuspecting motorists.
These diesel vehicles are now found to be responsible for at least 7,000 deaths a year due to the irritating arborne particulate matter form their exhausts. The Government is now trying to rectify this legislative mistake by trying to deter diesel drivers from entering London and introducing stricter exhausts emissions rules.
Another strategic error was the closure of our coal power stations in a bid to curb carbon emissions.
Again it is a similar error to that of the diesel vehicles. Most of the power station emissions were steam and virtually no particulate matter or irritating pollutants.
So now we have an unintended consequence of a looming power shortage that will result in even more dangerous airborne pollution.
When winter power cuts arrive many homeowners will open up their fireplaces and start to burn coal and wood to keep warm. This will release dangerous particulate filled smoke. The burning of these fossil fuels indoors also negates the whole point of closing the coal power stations.
SUSAN THOMAS
Magdalen Road
Oxford