Parroting lies
Re: "Rising heat needs urgent response", (Opinion, Nov 24). After repeating the obligatory but egregiously false lie that this year was the hottest on record, the UN climate alarmists claim, "By 2060, under a high-emissions scenario, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia, Myanmar, Turkey and Uzbekistan could lose more than 70% of their glacier mass. These phenomena also add to sea-level rise, raising existential risks for some countries in the Pacific."
The current estimated annual global land-ice loss corresponds to ~1.8mm of sea-level rise per year. Even if all of the land ice in the above-mentioned five nations disappeared entirely, the resultant sea level change would be so small as to be undetectable. Such mathematically projected changes based upon intentionally skewed models still cannot demonstrate "existential risks for some countries in the Pacific". Tidal gauge measurements, the only real and directly observed data for sea level rise, consistently reveal there is none.
The UN and its bloated bureaucracy rarely achieve anything that remotely justifies their existence.
Michael Setter
The real villain
Re: "Credit done wrong", (PostBag, Nov 26) & "Home seizures spike on bad debt", (Business, Nov 25).
The letter by Reformist Mind well depicts the unfair and unbalanced process of obtaining a loan. I get the feeling that these banks intentionally extend easy loans, knowing many would default, so they can take possession and resell the properties. They never lose.
These villainous banks, in fact, now levy a charge for ATM withdrawals between banks.
Horst Baer
Eye on Hat Yai
Could someone please explain to me why the present chaos and misery in Hat Yai ("once in 300 years event", no less) is relegated to a standard streamer by the BBC?
In the meantime, we have to watch boring discussions on constantly changing policies in the divided USA, or Rachel Reeves pontificating about her new budget and the Labour Party's dubious achievements.
Coverage of the disastrous fire in Hong Kong upped the ratings for 48 hours, but the disaster in Hat Yai is only worthy of a yawn, it seems. Gaza is old news at the moment until something more awful occurs. Four people killed in an event somewhere in the world gets coverage, but the annual carnage on Thai roads is mostly swept under the carpet unless the curious potential tourist does thorough homework.
I think the calamity in Hat Yai deserves vastly better international attention and domestically a more organised, transparent response, although things are happening at last, and belatedly, owing to social media despair at the situation and TV images (as well as the Post's rather late aid information on the front page today).
My thoughts go out to the residents (and tourists) trapped there.
Been there, done that for three weeks, marooned at home in 2011.
Ellis O'Brien
