Christine Wheeler McNulty (Saving the planet?, Letters, February 28) believes that the computer predictions of climate scientists are no better than “garbage in, garbage out”. Unfortunately, prediction is now turning into fact. Just as forecast, we now have rapid melting of the Polar ice caps, rising sea levels, and ever more frequent extreme weather leading to the floods in the UK, and the bushfires in Australia and California.

Climate change is now a fact which we are all experiencing, and the main causes are the burning of fossil fuels and to a lesser extent, deforestation.

If anyone still has doubts, they should consult the website of the Royal Society, the organisation which represents our 1,500 most distinguished scientists across all disciplines, at wwww.royalsociety.org.uk (click on Policies & Topics).

Donald Reid

Director of the Association for Public Health 1993 – 1999