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15 September 2021
From Simon Aldridge, London, UK
Annalee Newitz's thought-provoking article suggests that the way we considered coins 2500 years ago is similar to how we regard computers today, and that our thinking about them will inevitably change as we add more levels of abstraction ( 4 September, p 18 ). Interestingly, many modern theories of mind compare consciousness to computers – …
15 September 2021
From Ian Cairns, Seaford, East Sussex, UK
The article "A day in a net-zero life" provides a vision of the future, but didn't get into the transformation of economies and our own behaviour that will be required to reach this utopia ( 4 September, p 34 ). In my opinion, the only hope of achieving this is through legal restrictions on our …
22 September 2021
From Liz Bell, Great Shefford, Berkshire, UK
I was intrigued by a suggestion in your look at net-zero living from Hayden Wood at UK green energy firm Bulb ( 4 September, p 34 ). He said "it makes no sense to have gigawatts of battery capacity in people's cars not being used to help balance the grid". Actually, it does. We are …
22 September 2021
From Andrew Nicolson, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK
E-bikes deserve a mention in our net-zero future. They broke through at least 10 years ago with the advent of cheaper lithium batteries and novel motors. Their chargers are fitted with standard household plugs. Their embodied and per-kilometre carbon output – and unit price – are a tiny fraction of an electric car's. In his …
22 September 2021
From Rolf Schmidt, North Kessock, Highland, UK
If we take the handling of the covid-19 pandemic as a template for how we get to a net-zero world, we can imagine leaders addressing the emergency belatedly with uncoordinated, chaotic, inhumane and often cynical measures.
22 September 2021
From Timothy Mead, St Keverne, Cornwall, UK
Anil Seth breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow of his attempt to explain the physical processes of consciousness and calling it "the real problem" will not make it so ( 4 September, p 44 ). The difference between life and consciousness is that when you take life apart, there turns out to be …
22 September 2021
From Geoff Harding, Sydney, Australia
The development of a new coal mine in the UK for coking fuel for steel-making would constitute an embarrassing step in the wrong direction ( 11 September, p 11 ). The possible use of green hydrogen in steel furnaces has been mooted for some time and is soon to be a commercial reality, albeit – …
22 September 2021
From John Ormiston, Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, UK
The UK may not need a new coal mine or even an oil field, as Mark Peplow's comment makes clear ( 4 September, p 17 ), but it may have no option. The Petroleum Act , as amended in 2015, requires the UK to make the maximum profits from fossil fuel deposits in its territory. …
22 September 2021
From Robert Checchio, Dunellen, New Jersey, US
While the actions of spiteful people may result in head-shaking disapproval, the need for the assertiveness that might be driven by spite has been explored before ( 4 September, p 40 ). In "The Enemy Within", an episode of Star Trek , while beaming up from planet Alpha 177, a transporter accident splits Captain Kirk …
22 September 2021
From Dave Smith, Alnwick, Northumberland, UK
I read Coline Monchanin and Mathieu Lihoreau's article on heavy metal pollution affecting insects with great interest ( 11 September, p 25 ). Our intestinal microbiome is effectively an enclosed bioreactor susceptible to such substances. Lead residue build-up from leaded petrol would have been worst in inner-city areas during the 1960s and 1970s, and it …
