I REALLY want to be positive about my city but the first step in a rational process of improvement is recognising the current state of affairs.

A realistic assessment of how green Bristol is reveals that it is miles away from deserving the title “European Green Capital”. I can’t agree with the city being on this shortlist (“Bristol shortlisted for ‘green capital’ title”, Post, November 8).

It has very heavy traffic congestion and a very poor public transport system, and has no plans which demonstrate that an absolute reduction in traffic can be brought about. Air quality is thus unhealthy and contribution to climate change very high.

The much lauded Parks and Green Spaces strategy is not being followed by the council as they are selling off land on an ad hoc basis without Area Green Space Plans in place. This strategy in any case endorses the sell-off of many acres of parks and green spaces, undermining policies on healthy activity outdoors, climate change and biodiversity, and making rainwater management and flood prevention harder.

Instead of focusing on waste reduction, recycling and composting, Bristol’s

current Labour Cabinet defends plans for the mass incineration of waste, an option with very poor economic and environmental credentials.

Many thousands of houses are supposed to be built within and around the city, vastly raising its already very high ecological footprint.

As for the pattern of regeneration, well that has given us Cabot Circus, which hardly promotes local production for local needs as it’s all about the mass consumption of goods imported from all over the globe at great social and environmental cost.

Glenn Vowles,

Green Campaigner,

Knowle.