I agree with Dave Christian in his letter that "Oil has greatly improved the quality and length of life for everyone who has used it."

However, it does seem that humans have reached the pinnacle of progress dependant on such a self-destruct system.

Ample scientific data exits, if he looks not too far, to suggest that fossil fuel use is hastening the destruction of planet Earth.

Oil production depends on a capitalist system of continual growth, begun at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

This expansion encourages and assumes worldwide destruction of habitats resulting in devastation for all animals, including humans.

It causes stressed life forms resulting in, for example, crossover viruses leading to the current pandemic of coronavirus.

Apart from solving the problem by a mass emigration to Mars, the only way to save lives is to re-evaluate our current lifestyles on a very fragile Earth.

Jan Robson, by email