I WRITE to spare Peter Rickaby further blushes. (Time to put eco warriors back in their boxes, Letters, October 16.)

If he is indeed interested to cut government subsidies for energy then he needs to identify the chief beneficiary of those energy subsidies.

The new International Monetary Fund report finds that the production and burning of coal, oil and gas was subsidised by $5.9tn in 2020. That works out at around £8 million a minute around the world. The report also finds that there is not a single country pricing all its fuels sufficiently to reflect their full supply and environmental costs.

I understand that the world of facts is drowning in a sea of opinion but, faced with a growing crisis, it is surely in everyone's interests that government policy and action are based on facts and not on emotive diatribes.

If you want to stop subsidising energy costs, Mr Rickaby, the way to do it is to stop all subsidies of fossil fuel exploration and extraction. Your grandchildren will thank you for it.

Christian Vassie,

Blake Court,

Wheldrake,

York