If I glance sideways to the dreaded mirror, I see rheumy, failing eyes, sun-damaged skin and all the other ravages of age. Why would I want to look any closer? Contrary to Polina Aronson's "ripper read", Mrs Myself, I am not interested in sologamy. On the other hand, I am quite happy for everyone else to marry whomever they choose.

John Howard can be married to Janette as well as the Liberal Party, as long as I do not have to join the Howard harem.

Unlike Messrs Howard and Abbott, I have no desire to control the lives of others. I have trouble enough clarifying the purpose of mine. I am happy to write a note to self but self-marriage – no.

Mr Abbott may not trust us to formulate our own views without his bullying interference but I am sure he cannot possibly expect me to marry myself. Even he would not be that cruel.

Never mind my political opinions, religious beliefs or taste in music: as of my 58th birthday (celebrated years ago), permanent employment became an impossible dream and my superannuation contributions alone will not finance my retirement years.

Mr Warden, I know you are not an angry white dude but I really cannot vote for self-marriage. I will leave that blissful state to "the Leading Narcissist of the Free World".

B Chadwick, Mawson

In Kerrie Tucker's article "Keeping it Green in Canberra" (Sunday Times, October 1), there was passing mention of Australia as among countries where "federal governments have been the most recalcitrant" in addressing climate change.

This is more than a bit rich, given that it was the Greens who voted down attempts by others to introduce an emissions trading scheme at the federal level nearly eight years ago.

Thanks to that effort, Australia seems further than ever from implementing such a scheme.

Since Ms Tucker appears to be writing as a member of the Greens, it may have been appropriate for her self-congratulatory tone to be tempered by some humility.

H. Simon, Watson

Ryan Hemsley (Letters, October 5) clearly fails to understand the nature of the problem facing Canberra's future development. He is misguidedly barking up the wrong tree. Not a single letter of the two or three a week that now appear regularly in The Canberra Times has any NIMBY connection in it whatsoever.

The writers are not anti-development, they are all, like me (Letters, June 10), and Heather Henderson (Letters, October 6), complaining bitterly about the destruction of our city due to the complete absence of any professionally produced master plan for Canberra or any sensible approach to the methodical development of the city.

Bit by bit we are losing the very thing that should be the city's basic attraction, the expansive parklands around the lake. The appalling Kingston Foreshore that does not remotely resemble that planned originally for the site and the destruction of what should have been parklands at West Lake are just symptoms of the unplanned, ad hoc nature of recent developments.

I feel sad that Heather Henderson has to endure watching the grand vision her father had for Canberra slowly deteriorate before her eyes. It is a disgrace, one which the Barr government should be ashamed of.

To read (CT, August 21) that Malcolm Snow, the author of the NCA's now thoroughly disgraced plan to ruin Commonwealth Avenue, is to head the City Renewal Authority, is of great concern, and gives little hope that a single, professionally produced, overarching master plan for the city is ever likely to eventuate from this untrustworthy, unprincipled government.

There is indeed something "rotten" and it is not in the "state of Denmark", it is firmly within the ACT government's "Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate".

Murray Upton, Belconnen

I am voting 'yes' in the marriage equality survey. I encourage all those who haven't yet voted to consider the fundamental human right to openly declare one's love and commitment to another.

Members of the LGBTI community have suffered too long and too deeply, and for what reason? Many progressive countries – for example Ireland and Germany – have already said 'yes' to this issue. Reflect on the key words in our national anthem: "Advance Australia ... " (surely not backwards!). The more love in today's troubled world the better, I should think. What's been holding us back? So please vote 'yes', and thoughtfully regard our Australian family as one.

Jeanne Klovdahl, Braddon

What a wonderful article from Toni Hassan ("Facing a climate monster", Canberra Times, October 6, p24) . I haven't had such a laugh in some time! What a combination of old-time religion and scaremongering, completely fact-free as well.

We nasty humans have been very inconsiderate of the Earth with our comfortable lives, heating and airconditioning etc. We, as she mentions, should be out there hugging trees. The Arctic is disappearing, is it? What a strange thing to write. According to Wikipedia, The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth, and it is disappearing, she says?

The climate is cyclical and the amount of ice in the Arctic varies. The amount of Arctic ice was greatly reduced in the 1920s, '30s and '40s but alarmists conveniently ignore that, don't they? In any case, the reduction in Arctic ice in no way proves that CO2 is at fault. It could be, and most likely is, natural and not anthropogenic at all.

It does blow any credibility of such writers when they talk of carbon when they most likely mean CO2. When you can't even accurately describe what you are complaining about, how are you to address it? Carbon is a solid at ambient temperature on earth. CO2 is a gas!

Having the courage to do nothing on this issue is all that is required. Rescind the RET, build some new coal-fired generators to produce reliable, cheap electricity and let us get on with our lives. Yes, coal-fired electricity is much much cheaper than wind or solar generated electricity!

We have had enough baseless caterwauling on this subject. Give us a break.

John McKerral, Batemans Bay

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).