IF KIRBY Misperton and/ or Preston New Road in Lancashire are fracked this year and declare commercial viability, no-one doubts that the consequence will be an explosion of drilling applications across the North of England.

Ineos have announced their intention to frack the North York Moors from the inhabited perimeter, as well as Sherwood Forest. In Scotland, they are challenging the ban on fracking. Success (?) must result in greater proliferation and a massive increase in emissions which will render it impossible for the planet to hold global warming to two degrees.

Ineos need domestic shale to drive their cheap plastic industry which is causing the ‘near permanent pollution of the earth’ and oceans.

An additional serious risk to the life of our oceans is rapidly increasing deoxygenation, itself fossil-fuelled.

New York has filed suits against leading oil companies for climate pollution.

Have we in England completely lost the plot? In this context, there can be no justification for bringing additional reserves of fossil fuels into production. We are seriously contemplating destroying the planet, its vegetable, animal and human life for shale. And we know this, and change the TV channel.

David Cragg-James, Rose Cottage, Stonegrave, York