Gaby Hinsliff makes a good point (What makes today’s teens so pessimistic about the future? Perhaps it’s the present, 5 March). However, she writes about the present as if we are not in the midst of a climate crisis threatening all life on Earth. She omits any mention of the impact of this on young people. A study of 10,000 of them found high levels of climate anxiety and distress that were correlated with “perceived inadequate government response and associated feelings of betrayal” (The Lancet Planetary Health, 2021). Alongside adequate government action, young people are likely to feel supported by columnists who acknowledge their plight.
Breda Kingston
Bath
• No one can argue that these foods are good for you (Ultra-processed food linked to 32 harmful effects to health, review finds, 28 February), but isn’t it possible that it is not UPF that leads to poor outcomes but that poor health leads to the use of UPF?
Dena Fisher
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, US
