10 FEBRUARY 2007, Page 16

The death of Planet Earth

From Nick Reeves Sir: Charles Moore is wrong to suggest that environmentalists are predicting the end of Planet Earth unless we act now on climate change (The Spectator's Notes, 3 February). If the planet dies, that will likely be for other reasons. Failure to mitigate the worst effects of a warming world will lead to a new geological era that will cause the decline of western lifestyles. Many people will die or become environmental migrants. That is what environmentalists are saying. And, sadly, it will probably take a natural catastrophe in the USA or Europe before the developed world is spooked into action.

Nick Reeves Executive Director, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, London WC1