YESTERDAY my wife and I had lunch at a local restaurant.

Nearby was a mother with a new born baby and I could not avoid reflecting on what life would be like for that child in say 2099, eighty years from now.

This was brought home to me when I read (Guardian 9/5/2019) of the newly published report of the Environment Agency, warning of the threat to coastal towns from flooding due to the steady rise in global temperatures; whether this will include such towns as nearby Christchurch I do not know, but the threat and the warning is already there.

The newly born child I saw yesterday clearly bears no responsibility for the developing crisis and tragedy that is unfolding, which brings me to the attempts being currently made by Graham Farrant, Chief Executive of BCP, to form a new administration.

Top of the agenda for that new administration should be to address the issues raised by global warming and from what we have heard of pollution levels in London, what can be done in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch to tackle pollution in this area, especially from standing cars outside of local schools.

Dangerous pollution levels arise from the rapid development of car ownership and modes of transport need to be addressed.

The urgent answers required to tackle these problems can in part be acted on by the new BCP Council using existing legislation, but crucially by clear direction from central government and pressure from local councils and that was the main reason why I of a very much older generation voted for change in the recent council elections - to ensure that the newly born baby I met yesterday has a future.

Time for that future is running out!

GORDON CANN

Craigmoor Avenue, Bournemouth