It's hardly surprising that according to an Echo article of March 31, many Dorset residents don’t believe we should be treating the climate as a top priority.

Most media and politics fail to report repeated scientific, economic and legal warnings that we must hugely bring down emissions to protect the living world.

How many folk know about the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill? Why is it needed? Will all that melting ice really change things? How long have we got?

Carbon emissions are now dangerously high at 421 parts per million CO2, despite Covid.

Graphs and information from the government would help with understanding the complete mess we are in.

As more and more humans on our over-burdened planet continue to exploit the natural world there is an information gap on the enormous amounts of damage being done. Three trillion trees are now needed in the right places to make up for our over-exploitation.

The Human Rights Act of 1998 safeguards the right to life. So the courts and government are being urged by scientists and lawyers to respect the Paris Agreement which hopes to keep our planet cool enough to enable a viable future.

If Dorset Council really does want to engage the young they need to make their consultation a lot more user-friendly!

Young people need a true vision that speaks to their many concerns for better transport, better jobs, better animal welfare, more local provenance of goods, diets in tune with planetary boundaries and an awareness of the fragility of life in a changing world.

SUSAN CHAPMAN

Bournemouth