Published in the The Herald, 23 July 2007, p. 10, under the heading, "Action for the Prime Minister to consider."

As the nation is deluged the government has much to say about flood protection but very little about its underlying causes. I would like to volunteer as Gordon Brown's speech-writer. Confidentially, within the columns of your newspaper, I propose to him the following emergency address to the nation.

"The evidence suggests that climate change is now the most pressing problem of our times. England's floods are but a symptom of the turbulent future we face. The root causes are greenhouse gases produced by our appetite for carbon-based energy. Action is called for on a scale unprecedented outside wartime. Therefore, I wish to reintroduce and escalate those carbon taxes that the fuel protesters thwarted in 2000. Climate change demands a greater patriotism than that of economic self-interest.

"With due protection for the poor, we must tax carbon-based energy profligacy until Britain's share of greenhouse gas emissions is consistent with the best scientific advice. The proceeds from these taxes will, first, provide relief for uninsured flood victims. Secondly, they will institute a massive programme of public works for flood protection. And, thirdly, they will be used internationally to mitigate climate change and to compensate those who suffer most: the poor.