Re: ‘Grappling with the big issues' (The Weekend Sun, September 23).

I smiled when I read the this article quoting Gray Southon from the Tauranga carbon reduction Group, in his asking the prospective mayors for their position on global warming.

These activists are full of talk but understand little - as a quick rebuff see the latest peer-reviewed papers in respect of the continually increasing ice cover in the Antarctic, and the report from the United States on the low incidence of extreme weather in recent years - contrary to all the green claims - especially in regard to hurricanes which had always been a major concern for the USA.

Below is a 2010 report on the situation in China, which has not reduced in subsequent years.

These are the hard facts on China.While they manufacture 80 per cent of the world's solar panels, they install less than five per cent and build a new coal fired power station every week.

In one year they turn on more new coal-powered electricity than Australia's total output.

They are already the largest carbon dioxide emitter and their output will rise 70 per cent by 2020.

And we think we're saving the planet? It will not make one iota of difference to the climate, what we do in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the USA or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

All the politicians and Greenies are doing is increasing our cost of living and making our manufacturers uncompetitive in the world market, with their idiotic carbon tax, when countries like China are growing and consuming at these extraordinary rates!

Time to wake up! You may also be aware that the majority of European Union countries have still not ratified the Paris agreement.

R Smith, Matua.