I wish our politicians would stop assuming everyone other than they are idiots. No, Simon Bridges, we're not so stupid as to believe that ‘climate change is bogus' (page, 13, The Weekend Sun, June 29).

The climate has been in various states of change ever since Earth was formed. What many of us question is, to what extent is man responsible for the current rate of climate change? I believe the jury is still out. Not very long ago ‘global warming' was the buzz, but when the facts didn't support that theory it was changed to ‘climate change'.

Even if humans are contributing to the speed of climate change, we are arrogant to think we can do anything about it. There are billions in this world who aspire to our standard of living – that will require more use of energy and the production of more greenhouse gases.

What we might be able to change is the pollution of our waterways and seas, the plundering of our natural resources (fish stocks and forests) the destruction of habitat and extermination of species. I don't hold out much hope – there are far too many of us and Earth probably needs the climate to change to a destructive level to redress the imbalance.

A Gawith, Mount Maunganui (Abridged).