Locals should look beyond the shores of Lake Macquarie to understand that climate change is happening in many parts of the world. Have a read about what's happening in Antarctica, in the Arctic, in Greenland, in Siberia. Then on to the glaciers in the USA, and in the Himalayas and even in New Zealand. Not forgetting the deforestation in Indonesia and Brazil.

Carl, you and I are going to be long gone from this world before there will be any discernible rise in the waters of Lake Macquarie, which incidentally fluctuate according to moon phases not tidal flows. The problem for deniers is that climate change is insidious, it's not going to arrive in a cataclysmic event, and it will be decades before the reality hits home.

It's your and my grandchildren and great grandchildren who will bear the burden in due course of reckless denials and political inaction.

- Graham Boyd, Dora Creek

SO Lake Macquarie City Council wants to call the ex-Pasminco land the suburb of Lake Macquarie. What are they thinking? I thought Lake Macquarie was a waterway surrounded by various suburbs, which are collectively called a city.

I would suggest calling this new suburb City Central, and save a lot of money and confusion.

Both Sydney and Newcastle both started off as a colony that eventually grew out into a city. Lake Macquarie was always a scattered extension of Newcastle, and only because of population increase was given the privilege of being called a city.

If being called a city gives global recognition to Lake Macquarie as a separate place from Newcastle, there might have been some benefits to Lake Macquarie to enjoy from travel.

But when all international travel destinations to the area by air and sea arrive at Newcastle, it would be a hard sell to include Lake Macquarie when there is no airport or ship docking facility here.

I reckon the original plan to combine Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils would have had far more global benefit. And it would have cost far less to operate than a duplication of almost everything. But, alas, we have two councils competing against one another.

- Carl Stevenson , Dora Creek

AT one time it was a scientific fact that the sun orbited the earth. Scientific observation and the models of the ancient Greeks said so. Galileo and a few others, however, had "alternative facts" which we now accept. The world's scientific community is not unanimous about the role of human activity in global warming and the "reality of catastrophic climate change". If the evidence for climate catastrophe is unambiguous, why have so many climate catastrophe predictions been dud predictions?

- Peter Dolan, Lambton

HAVING just watched Revelation on the ABC I was again reminded how easy it is for criminals and self servers to hide in our institutions. Where would our society and democracy be without journalists like Joanne McCarthy? Let's hope our newspapers can survive this social media age.

- Rick Miller, Gwandalan

GREAT start to the season, Knights, well done. Let's hope it continues even though we may not be able to get to the games.

- Bill Slicer, Tighes Hill

Letters to the editor: Climate versus weather (March 19)

Letters to the editor: Market area to lure GPs (March 12)

Letters to the editor: Shed men an inspiration (March 5)