SIR – Is it that our leaders just aren’t paying attention, do they just not understand or are they in denial? Or could it be that short term gain is still outweighing the long-term interests of future generations? Last year, our own Prime Minister, David Cameron, in response to cutting energy bills was widely reported as saying, “Cut the ‘green’ cr*p!”

Yet, according to a new study, it has been revealed that temperature rises resulting from unchecked climate change will be at the severe end of what has been projected.

The scientist leading the research from New South Wales in Australia, said that unless emissions of greenhouse gasses were cut, the planet would heat up by a minimum of 4C by 2100 – twice the level the world’s governments deem dangerous.

Professor Steven Sherwood said: “This study... strongly discounts the lowest estimates of global warming in favour of the higher and more dangerous estimates. A rise of 4C would likely be catastrophic rather than dangerous.

“Climate sceptics like to criticise climate models for getting things wrong and we are the first to admit they are not perfect. But what we are finding is that the mistakes are being made by the models that predict less warming, not those that predict more.”

David Hornsby, West View Avenue, Wrose