I worry about what will actually be achieved at Cop26

Ed Miliband’s words about Boris Johnson’s hosting of the Cop26 summit – “I worry that he’s in the vacuous back slapping mentality” – perfectly sum up the worry so many of us have about this conference.

Johnson is in his element when acting the jolly buffoon, when what we need is a person of impressive gravitas and wisdom. The teenager Greta Thunberg should be steering this group of political leaders, she has more sense in her little finger than they have collectively. Nothing, but nothing, matters more than saving the world from the humans that are currently killing it.

Johnson now drags down expectations in advance, and his chum Rishi Sunak has just proudly delivered a budget that encourages flying and driving.

You really couldn’t make up the jaw-dropping stupidity on display.

Penny Little

Oxfordshire

Global warming is THE most important topic facing the world to date, and we have received just a “commitment” to reduce the causes of rising temperatures. There appears little or no positive action to actually implement recommendations that would reduce the risk of the impending catastrophe.

I’ve just been listening to Alok Sharma, president of Cop26, who has given me no confidence for any proactive remedy to save us from chaos in the future. Instead, he has procrastinated and passed the buck to everyone else for the failure to agree on an action plan and finances.

Our governments have had 25 years to plan to reduce the impending warming but only rhetoric and grandstanding have been delivered. It is incumbent upon our world leaders to lead and produce a workable, funded plan.

Keith Poole

Basingstoke

Britain. France. We’ve way more to worry about than a few fish that none of us will be catching anyway if we don’t deal with climate change.

Grow up. Get real. Deal with what needs dealing with. Stop wasting so much time and energy that needs to go elsewhere. Please.

Ian Henderson

Norwich

John Rentoul has made the incorrect assumption that clowns and jesters are the same thing.

He rightly says that the jester is there to remind the monarch of his mortality, however the job of a clown is to divert the attention of the audience while the scenery is changed – and thus not noticing what’s really happening. Jesters and clowns may belong on the same coin but they represent very different sides.

Adrienne Fitzwilliam

Tunbridge Wells