‘Fund gas’ threat
Contrary to Dr Dryburgh’s claim that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant (Letters, 12 March), the dictionary definition of a pollutant is that of “a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects”. Given the effects of CO2-induced global warming, it is safe to say that CO2 has harmful effects.
Specifically, and in more scientific terms, CO2 is referred to as a “fund pollutant”, as the environment is capable of absorbing at least a proportion of that which we release into the atmosphere.
The effects of fund pollutants become significant when their emission rates exceed the environment’s absorptive capacity for them – which has certainly been the case with CO2 throughout most of the past century into the current one.
(Dr) Gavin Whittaker
Heriot
Borders