Joseph Dunn portrays the so-called environmental campaigner David Bellamy as a charming old coot who just wants to present “both sides” of the issues in the debate over carbon dioxide emissions and global warming (Hot cars don’t warm the planet, last week).

There is, however, evidence of efforts to silence real scientists who want to discuss their findings on warming.

In the latest of a long list of truth-control efforts by the Bush administration, James Hansen, the top climate scientist at Nasa, gave an interview claiming that administration officials have been trying to control and restrict his speeches because he advocates reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Laura Mosedale
London

FUTURE SHOCK

It is embarrassing to see David Bellamy continuing to peddle the theory that climate change is not induced by the activities of human beings.

Even President George W Bush now accepts there is a problem. Bellamy would do us a favour by using his public profile to campaign for a reduction in carbon emissions. There is no real downside to reducing emissions, but the future of the planet is at stake if we don’t.

Norman Baker Environment spokesman
Liberal Democrats

AGENT CLARKSON

Clarkson may rightly fear “creeping American imperialism”(Wiggle your hips and drive like a Norwegian, last week), but he revealed himself as one of its agents, asking a cafe owner for the “rest room”.

No wonder the man was bemused. The English word Norwegians use is “toilet”, which is, funnily enough, what most of us in Oxfordshire say. Maybe Jeremy’s embarrassed to use words like that?

Peter Millar
Hook Norton, Oxfordshire

REFLECTING DANGER

Isn’t it about time the rules were changed to do away with wing mirrors and replace them with something that is harder to break, cheaper to install, and improves the vehicle’s looks and aerodynamics? How about using video cameras located just behind the front wheels to scan a wide angle view of the road down each side of the car and eliminate blind spots? The images could be displayed on wing-mirror-size screens either side of the dashboard at the base of the windscreen.

The position of the cameras would hardly need adjusting, and could be developed to include a dip facility, night vision and zoom, and could be linked to a black box to help accident investigators sort out claims.

Chris Thomas
Oxted, Surrey

FAULTY CLONE

If the JiangLing Landwind is as close a clone of the Vauxhall Frontera as you say (Invasion of the Chinese clones, last week), what was omitted or redesigned to make the performances in crash tests so different?

George Alderslade
Billingham, Teesside

CLEAN SCREEN

Ford is not the only manufacturer to provide “quick clear” windscreens for everyday motorists (Letters, January 22). My everyday Audi A4 cabriolet also has front windscreen quick demist. It is a single button operation that takes about 30-45sec. I suppose if that failed I could resort to plan B — lower the hood and peer over the windscreen.

Bev Hunt
Sleaford, Lincolnshire

CONNECTED

Surely in this age of mobile phones, iPods, transferable sat nav systems, hands-free communications, laptop computers and the like, all clamouring to be recharged via a bulky cigar lighter plug and socket, it’s time car makers and power cord makers agreed on 3.5mm jackplugs and sockets for the job.

The space saving in door pockets would be significant without all those unnecessarily large plugs, and a rank of jack sockets would be much neater than the equivalent number of supplementary cigar lighter sockets.

It is a matter that needs addressing sooner rather than later.

Howard Toon
Loughborough, Leicestershire

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