THE LLANFOIST guru would like to make a serious

response to the humourous offering from David Williams

(July 30).

First of all I did not claim that climate change is a wholly

natural phenomenon since it is obviously aggravated by

human activity.

However, on previous occasions millions of years ago

climate fluctuations would certainly have been completely

natural occurrences.

Gordon Brown's tax regime will continue since it bolsters

the revenue but however much CO2 emissions are cut

(they have actually increased in the UK since 1991) it will

make no difference whilst China and India race ahead with

their industrial ambitions.

Methane gas (CH4) poses a threat yet it rarely gets a

mention in the media. Human and animal populations

throughout the world have increased vastly but a cull is

unlikely unless every government finds a Saddam

equivalent to take change.

Methane is used to manufacture organic chemicals and

hydrogen and is used as cooking and heating fuel in the

form of natural gas.

It also occurs naturally as marsh gas and as firedamp from

dredging coal as many mines have found to their cost.

One would hope that the Royal Society and other scientific

bodies will be aware of the potential of methane. It does a

lot more than cause people to wrinkle their noses when

travelling up or down in a life.