Red sand buckets used to stand in the corner in case of fire. Now they are being used by world leaders to put their heads in while the planet drowns under melting ice and burns with record temperatures, all created with the continued use of fossil fuels.

The recent Attenborough programme on climate change could not be clearer about the peril that awaits future generations. One third of the colour-fest wonder that once was coral is now crumbling ghost rock. Meanwhile Donald ‘It’s a hoax’ Trump and his ilk continue to deny the science that is flaming obvious.

When he arrives in June, Trump should not be given the oxygen of publicity, he should simply be blanked.

Meanwhile there is much local councillors can do. Is there really any need to have a noisy generator-driven bouncy castle in Rowntree Park when there is a fantastic children’s playground only yards away? Or a virtually empty fairground that pumps out fumes every Easter into York’s already poor-quality air? Not forgetting the main culprits - buses, lorries and cars that pump poison with impunity and without penalty, and of course our continued use of unnecessary plastic and packaging and idiotic moor destroying, bird incinerating, tinfoil bbq’s full of noxious cheap Chinese coal to half-cook millions of fatburgers.

Heads must be removed from the sand bucket now, before one of several tipping points sends every living thing on this wondrous planet into oblivion.

Brian McCusker,

Hartoft Street, York

Employment not the be-all and end-all...

Home truths for our planet home is where we are at thanks to Extinction Rebellion protests in London.

Ergo, who or what has conditioned humans, especially politicians - and all British political parties are guilty of this - to think that the creation of remunerative employment is of the utmost importance, irrespective of the nature of the work or its consequences for humankind and the natural world? It isn’t, it is what we do that matters, even if people and governments are willing to pay money for outcomes that are detrimental to life on this planet.

The making of money is an extremely poor way of measuring the true value of what we do.

Geoff Naylor,

Birch Close,

Winchester,

Hampshire

Shame that these chargers don’t work

I see that the Lib Dems’ Local Election manifesto includes a commitment to ‘developing the UK’s first voluntary clean air zone in York’ (The Press, April 25).

In the same week Cllr Andrew Waller is shown standing alongside a vehicle electric charging point. These charging points were installed to encourage car owners to move from fossil fuels to cleaner energy, which would improve air quality in the city.

So, how come the Lib Dems have been so incompetent that 12 out of the 40 electric charging points have not been working for over 12 months?

Fine words butter no parsnips!!

Bob Towner,

Hobgate, York