Jeremy Corbyn considered it wasting time at a “billionaires’ jamboree”, referring to a quarter of the cabinet flying to Davos in the middle of the Brexit impasse (The week that was, Environment, 26 January).

Greta Thunberg (Mountain mover, 26 January) clearly didn’t think it was a waste of time. Taking 32 hours to get there by train, the 16-year-old activist practised what she preaches. What could be more important than the future of our planet? As she said in her speech: “Either we choose to go on as a civilisation or we don’t.”

Our leaders apparently don’t: private jets, Davos “gridlocked with limos” (What we learned at Davos, 26 January). Not a mention anywhere of a crisis, or climate emergency. But if we don’t take this desperate situation seriously, if we don’t act “as if our house is on fire” (Thunberg), Brexit will not matter in the least – Theresa May, Corbyn and thousands of other world leaders will have wasted their time. There won’t be a future.

Anne Taylor

Oxford

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters

• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition