SIR – This week, we have seen that European governments are trying to use the financial crisis as an excuse not to tackle climate change. The climate crisis is potentially far more devastating than the economic crisis and ironically the measures needed to address it are precisely those which could also help avoid a global recession.

Strong policies which encourage wind power for example, could result in an avoided fuel cost of £20.5 billion across the EU alone by 2020 and provide more than 500,000 jobs.

European ministers should put in place a Green New Deal for Europe. In other words, based on the precedent of Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s, we need the re-regulation of international finance, an end to subsidies for coal and nuclear, and a major programme of public and private investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, therefore generating thousands of green-collar jobs.

That way we can make the transition away from fossil fuels and avoid a huge economic downturn at the same time.

FELICITY NORMAN, Green Party, prospective MEP for the West Midlands.