Your blog about Al Gore’s recent film, An Inconvenient Truth (13 October), was entertaining but somewhat flippant. As last year’s Sustainability Leader award winner, I feel duty-bound to comment.

My inconveniently true response is that if the industry does not change rapidly, it will soon die. Clients are demanding climate-friendly buildings, and the industry needs clients. Also, we need a usable home planet from which to conduct business – the economy is a subsidiary of the ecology.

The public don’t want toxic gas-guzzling buildings and they don’t have to have them.

I am confident that the construction industry will change, and fast. Can we build it a low carbon economy? Yes we can!

This is life and death stuff. The inaction of individuals, the industry and politicians is killing children – it is that simple. I am certain there will be a massive industry U-turn very soon, driven by public outrage about CO2 and its sources.

There is no alternative to a complete change in the carbon performance of all our buildings. It’s just a question of when it will happen.

There is both danger and opportunity in climate crisis. Either the industry can scoff or it can prepare for radical change. Those who turn their back on problems like this and hope they will go away, will be hit hard. Those who look forward to change will be better placed to ride the wave.

Dave Hampton, the carbon coach, Buckinghamshire

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