HUMAN behaviour, greed, and self importance almost makes me want to give up, but then I think of my newest great grandchild, born in Shetland, and he deserves both a more determined response, and a climate with only limited warming.

Again it’s all about motor vehicles, and their supply of geologically ancient carbon dioxide into our present day atmosphere. The problem is three fold with the numbers increasing, as well as bigger models with larger engines producing more CO2, and finally it’s the way they are driven.

The result is that cars, and also the increasing number of vans that have replaced many postmen, mean that not only has the number of vehicles increased, by over 600,000 in a year, but individually they each produce more CO2 per mile driven.

There are now over four million vans on the road, double the number in 2000, many delivering our parcels, and larger engines mean that they are producing over 250 grams of CO2 per mile. It’s certainly more as that figure relates to an unladen van that can carry one tonne.

There’s also been a remarkable increase in larger, more expensive, and bigger engined cars on our roads, and it’s all to do with the payment method. Most cars these days aren’t purchased outright because they use a Personal Contract Plan – a PCP. It involves lower monthly payments than hire purchase, and doesn’t involve ownership.

Three quarters of new cars, most two litres plus, are financed this way, with 80 per cent of Mercedes being a typical example, and it explains why they are often parked in unlikely housing areas.

That’s all bad enough but the problem is compounded by the way they are driven, generally ignoring the speed limit, and with constant revving to excite attention.

Why can’t these drivers accept what they are doing to their children.