The Cornish Times received a letter from Charlotte Reynolds and Christopher Andrews from Gunnislake and Saltash. It said:

"Further to your recent piece on Sheryll Murray’s response to our letter to her of September 28 2023, we make the following comments. 

"Firstly, we have now received a written response from Ms Murray which makes no reference to our comments about her hostile and combative approach or her stated disregard for our opinions as non Tory voters. So I can only conclude that our interpretation of her attitude was correct. However, if Ms Murray wishes to comment on this publicly we are perfectly happy to wave any confidentiality that she feels her response might breach. 

"Then we must challenge her use of the term ideology. An ideology is a set of opinions or beliefs, frequently referring to a set of political beliefs and it epitomises both her and the government approach to managing the threat of climate change based on short term political expediency. 

"Climate Change is not an ideology but a phenomenon based on detailed scientific measurement and analysis of many indicators including but not exclusively global weather patterns, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, ice cap melting over a long period of time. 

"The description and understanding of Climate Change has changed over time as more detailed understanding of things like feedback loops increases but the science is saying very clearly that there is a rapidly escalating crisis and that governments around the world are failing to grasp the enormity of or take the necessary action in a timely manner that will allow the world to avert the worst Impacts. 

"That is not ideology! And the government’s expert advisors are all in agreement that this government is not acting in a way that reflects the urgency of the situation. 

"In 2008 the government agreed to legally binding carbon reduction commitments (which are based on limiting warming to 1.5°C so already abysmally inadequate). 

"The governments recent change in approach calls into question how it will still meet those original commitments, let alone deal with the predictions for much higher increases. Ms Murray’s response that it brings the UK in line with other countries is both irrelevant and misleading. 

"It is UK legislation that is being compromised not France or Germanys. Our letter asked her to provide us with the information that the government has used to demonstrate that it will still be able to meet its legal obligations but she has evaded the question. 

"Her assertion that the UK is a world leader in cutting emissions is inaccurate and disingenuous. The UK figures that the government use do not include our emissions from international flights or shipping or the carbon cost of imported goods produced elsewhere in the world ( the vast majority of food and goods sold and used in the UK!) 

"Once the carbon associated with these is taken into account our emissions are certainly not falling; we have merely exported them elsewhere. And furthermore, 45% of the government quoted emissions reduction is due to the closing of coal fired power stations before the 2006 conference, a decision made for economic a reasons, not as an emissions reduction measure."

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