RATHER than face the implications of producing too much carbon dioxide we are still trying to have our cake and eat it, that is, produce unlimited CO2 and then pretend that we can extract it from the air.

We are struggling with the natural ways of reducing this atmospheric concentration, like doubling tree cover where possible, or making sure that farmed soils have a deep rich organic content. Even the costly, technical alternatives, such as pumping it into emptied oil field structures are seriously inadequate, and all they achieve is a delay in the decisions we should be taking to prevent climate mayhem.

It’s the same in Iceland. They have discovered that despite it turning into stone when pumped underground into basalt rock it only saves about 10,000 tonnes of CO2 – just the annual production of one thousand Bradfordians.

Similarly an Indian firm has developed a way of turning the CO2 captured from the air into baking soda, using 60,000 tonnes, but unless the whole world starts gobbling cakes this is a third less than the people of Ilkley produce each year.

Because CO2 storage underground, or turning it into stone or cakes isn’t going to stop the temperature rising three degrees we will just have to produce less. So it’s up to you, me and about the other four billion or so well-off folk on the planet.

At the government level it means supporting, by subsidising, wind turbines and solar farms, and challenging the need for new road schemes and the High Speed Rail plan. The new vehicle licensing scheme, from this April for new cars, should charge the larger engined vehicles far more every year while public transport should be significantly subsidised.

We individuals should also turn off lights and computers, wear jumpers, fly less, walk more and grow some of our own food.