SIR – Keith Thomson’s letter (T&A, April 12) criticising my UKIP colleague’s stance on climate change, says he is a graduate in geophysics, and the planet has not cooled over the last ten years.

I do not wish to be unkind, but many graduates in economics have not been very successful in solving problems in their field of expertise and have been incompetent. I know there is a big difference in the two subjects, but it does show that self-styled experts can be wrong.

Some scientists say that over the last 17 years there has been no increase in the average temperature of the planet and there have been dips.

Mr Thomson has in the past said even if the sceptics might be right, which they were not, it was surely wise to decrease emissions of CO2, just in case he was right, rather like the non-believer in God pretends to be a believer, just in case there is life after death.

One scientist in St Petersburg is convinced we are at the beginning of another little ice age that will last 200 years and reminds usthat nobody can stop climate change, which is perpetual. Just in case he and fellow believers are right, we should abandon our efforts to decrease CO2 emissions.

Philip Bird, Nab Wood Terrace, Shipley