I'M sure I was not the only reader greatly disappointed to read the negative letter from K R Manns in the Gazette on November 23, in which the writer rubbishes the genuine debate on climate change.

Manns asks for evidence that global warming is a product of human over activity. I'd suggest there is a need to look no further than the recent announcement by a delegation from UK-based insurance giant CGNU to the International World Climate Change Conference in the Hague.

The insurance company warns delegates that damage to property due to global warming could bankrupt the world by 2065.

"According to Director of General Insurance Development at CGNU, Dr Andrew Dlugolecki, the rate of damage to homes, buildings, and facilities is rising at an alarming speed due to changing weather and at present rates would eventually exceed all the world's wealth.

Mr Dlugolecki said that at the current rate of growth of damage of ten per cent a year, damage would exceed Gross Domestic Product by 2065 and that the insurance industry was in danger of running out of money to deal with the disasters.

Thankfully our politicians are not blinkered to environmental disaster as K R Manns appears to be and recognise the fact that something can and must be done about this man-made situation while we still have the chance to reverse some of the damage.

Tough international action is being considered to tackle this all too apparent climate change.

Surely Manns can recognise that the actions needed to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions will have other environmental benefits as well reduced wastage of resources, less pollution, better air and habitat for human and animal life, need I go on?

Isn't it better that responsible people are now preaching a little doom and gloom, rather than burying their heads in the sand, pretending there is nothing wrong and letting the world slip into irrecoverable decline.

Surely it's not too much to ask that we all, as consumers, start to voluntarily do our bit to achieve a world that will be fit for habitation by future generations or is the attitude of I'm all right Jack to prevail?

Geoff Brewer.

Downlands Road

Devizes