MIKE PULESTON, of Newton Abbot, writes: 

Teignmouth Airshow is an anachronism. So in 2023 as the world spirals further into a climate crisis principally through the excessive emissions of Greenhouse gasses from the burning of fossil fuels (I’m assuming most know the government/scientific worldwide explanation of the ‘Greenhouse effect’) Teignmouth has just hosted another airshow as did Torquay just recently.

I find it incomprehensible that people genuinely enjoy watching jet war planes spewing out coloured smoke across the South Devon coastline with deafening noise while at the same time this week Global meteorological organisations have confirmed that the past week up to Wednesday was the hottest seven days on record.

UN General Secretary Antonio Gueterres has responded by commenting ‘I think  we are moving into a catastrophic situation as the last two temperature records demonstrate.’

The symbolism of polluting machines providing ‘entertainment’ is very powerful at such a time of environmental urgency, but also demonstrates how much disinterest and denial there is of an existential threat to the existence of life on earth.

Time is running out to make positive changes to prevent catastrophic climate change, pretending all is ok and ‘normal’ by admiring war planes at air shows, fawning over dirty polluting Cruise ships and generally thinking it will be ok will be disastrous.

A Greta Thunberg famously said the ‘old normal is a crisis’.