RALPH Prothero, anthropogenic climate-change sceptic (see letter today and in reply to his letter of July 11), Venice is sinking. A friend of mine had this to say about Venice after returning from there last week.

Venice floods worse every year – ongoing building work is helping hold back water, by a gnat’s whisker, the city is doomed – which is what makes it so magical, tragic and beautiful, seeing something which you know won’t be there one day.

It is not just Venice that is preparing for this rise in sea levels. London has had millions spent on a flood-defence system.

New York, Bangkok and Dhaka in Bangladesh, all low-lying areas, are investing in flood defence and flood-resilience.

Climate-change is a worldwide issue.

Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a result of the burning of fossil fuels is one of the main causes of climate change today.

From the late 1970s onwards countries agreed a framework to repair the hole in the ozone layer caused by human usage of CFCs, this has seen a gradual decline in the depletion of the layer. The same needs to happen in regards to climate change, we can keep global temperatures within safe limits.

Furthermore, to suggest that the Green movement wish to “dismantle and destroy our industrial civilisation” is ridiculous in the extreme.

Apart from the fact that it has been Tory and Labour-led governments that have overseen the de-industralisation of the British economy and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, The Green Party has been very clear through its manifesto that a Green New Deal to decrease our carbon emissions and create one million jobs is the route to a new industrial and cleaner revolution.

I encourage Mr Prothero to read the science on climate change and come to terms with the facts; human induced climate-change is affecting the everyday lives of people around the world and it will have a continuing, direct and destructive impact on the United Kingdom and it’s people.

JONATHAN MARTIN, Address supplied