Yes, very happily for 20 years on and off, returning to SW15 regularly. Look up the Masdar City Project in Abu Dhabi, who have the money in place because they invested their oil dollars wisely, unlike the UK. These are no "vanity projects" and I shudder at the sneering ignorance of the real Middle East when I return "home". These are the people who built the pyramids whilst we built Stonehenge, so I think they know a little about construction, having built the tallest building on earth on sand, and a vast new airport whilst we talk about a strip of tarmac off the M4.The Wimmin on the bridge would be well advised to bend down occasionally and pick up litter, like those wonderful souls I see on Putney Common at weekends, and yes, some who spout Green now were happily driving large broods to School in the first four-wheel drives. There are loads of interesting projects to help the environment, like the yellow ant survey I volunteered for in Richmond Park. No traffic jams, no yoga, just important data quietly gathered on how these tiny critters are vital in moving large amounts of earth around, subsequently assessed by an Oxford don.My daughter takes part in regular beach clean-ups in Hong Kong, where there is a serious issue with the plastic we dump on China, mainly due to lucrative tariffs paid to the container owners. How will XR address this particular issue?As Attenborough says, the problem with the rainforest and many other areas is "islandisation" once promoted by some environmentalists, disastrously concentrating species into the centre of areas of remaining trees, where survival of the fittest prevails. Loss of animal habitat and human over-population is the biggest threat we face.It is up to greater powers than us to change industrial emissions, but we can all do our bit by being wise consumers. How do the critics imagine that the contents of Waitrose arrive in the High Street? Are they going to give up tropical fruit and coffee for the cause?Those pondering about frost-fairs should remember that we only have records which begun a blink of the eye ago. I have visited glaciers in Iceland to see for myself how they disappeared about 11,000 years ago, although much smaller now than 1,000 years ago. This can measured by looking at terminal moraine at the snout of the glacier.The city of Dwarka in India's Gulf of Kutch is testament to a great city that was submerged around 11,000 years ago, and has been kept quiet about because it doe not fit the "Climate Change" narrative. Mammoth molars have been found by Dutch dredgers in the English Channel, where they once grazed, so "global warming" has happened before, and will happen again.Solar activity controls our temperatures, as does the orbit of the moon, so most of us cannot control the climate, but we can manage waste. Don't buy single-use plastic, carry a linen shopping bag, support UK farmers - you know the drill. The best way to lobby those with the power to make change is via online petitions, which actually have impacted on Monsanto etc. - you just never hear about them. The XR brigade do not care for the planet, or anyone else, just grand-standing for their personal 15 minutes of fame, at massive inconvenience to others, forgetting that some people are simply unable to walk long distances, forced to breathe in pollution that they have caused. Uber is laughing all the way to the bank. As for Mr Carter, his mind appears to be as contradictory as the XR mandate, and he will have to reflect on the wisdom of posting a photoshopped image of Rees-Mogg with a Hitler moustache on a public forum, whilst berating David Lammy for calling the same man a Nazi. Those who profess their love for the planet the loudest, are often not very nice to their neighbours.
Chantal Blake-Milton ● 2764d