COP26: A climate triumph... or a health disaster - Readers' Letters

While COP26 delegates prepare to jet in to Glasgow, a leading health adviser is warning that the conference will trigger a spike in Covid cases. It’s alarming that the vast majority of the 25,000 delegates have chosen to travel and mix indoors rather than join remotely, as Scottish Government health adviser Devi Shridhar says that the conference is taking place at the “worst possible time” from a public health perspective

Greta Thunberg is heading for Glasgow – but should she be staying home?

The expected spike threatens to dwarf that experienced after the Euros and occurs just as many hospitals are experiencing full capacity prior to the winter peak. It would have made sense if, like football supporters, delegates were mandated to show vaccine passports and it would have been prudent to test delegates at airports and provide hotel quarantining rather than relying on them quarantining when they got home.

While the UK government has made no attempt to dissuade more leaders and high-profile delegates to set an example and refrain from attending, Greta Thunberg’s presence will attract hundreds more. Ms Thunberg should live up to her mantra of “I don’t want you to listen to me, listen to the science..”, and pass the baton on to scientists who make her case far more eloquently.

With so many mixing indoors over such a long period and the perfect storm of Covid, flu and a backlog of serious legacy operations, it’s no wonder that Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has warned that this will be the most challenging winter in NHS history. Mr Yousaf is confident, however, that sufficient health measures are in place at COP26 and there is no need for further national restrictions.

If public health experts are right he may regret that in a few weeks, although he has refused to rule out further restrictions at Christmas. Here we go again. Let’s hope that COP26 will be remembered here more as a climate triumph than a major contributor to a health disaster this winter.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

The Three Fs

For many years the Three Rs – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic – formed the basis of Scottish education. However with transport playing an important role an addition shold be made with the three Fs – Further, Faster and Frequently.

In the same way that athletes have to train mentally to avioid running shrt of breath, drivers have to train to concentrate for longer periods especially on roads with which they are not familiar. Perhaps it is now time for safe drivers to be rewarded and careless ones to be penalised.

CJR Fentiman, Edinburgh

LEZs not the answer

I read with interest Ian Swanson’s article on Edinburgh’s proposed Low Emissions Zone (News, 25 October) and was surprised to find myself agreeing with Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Gavin Thomson in the first part when he quotes them as being “disappointed with the plan” that “won’t do even what it is supposed to”.

My agreement waned when Mr Thomson then said that the LEZ does not go far enough. My reasons for disagreeing are drawn from a comment by transport convener Cllr Lesley McInnes in an earlier issue of the News where she is quoted as saying the LEZ wouldn’t effect many cars (so what’s the point?) and from the fact that the city council’s policies appear to disadvantage residents in favour of commuters: residents’ permit parking bays are being redesignated for pay and display use so more commuters can park just outside the LEZ (particularly near me in Morningside and Marchmont).

I was, however, delighted to be in agreement again with Mr Thomson who, quite rightly, points out that the LEZ will have little effect “not least at St John’s Road in Corstorphine” and that “we will still have high levels of air pollution”. This council needs to improve their priorities by exempting residents and providing commuters with a better alternative.

Christopher Cowdy, Edinburgh