Sir, – While many commuters in London and Dublin may have been discommoded recently by the actions of members of the Extinction Rebellion movement, their actions are to be supported.
They are highlighting the fact that it is no longer enough to sit and wait for our elected representatives to face down the vested interests that prolong a failing economic model.
Direct action is very much appropriate when one considers that we are faced with a catastrophe so great that the future ability of the planet to support life is in question.
In these circumstances their actions are completely justifiable and to question them is to maintain a delusion that somehow we can resolve this crisis without radically changing how we run society.
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In the last year we have witnessed a grass-roots response to decades of inaction on the part of politicians in thrall to corporate interests.
It is important that we see beyond the short-lived disruption to city life and reflect on why this action is being taken. That is its purpose. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Blackrock, Cork.
Sir, – Further to Chris Johns's article "How much more are you willing to pay for fuel to save the planet?" (Business Opinion, April 21st), the assertion that most predictions are way off the mark does not apply here. The evidence increasingly shows climate impacts moving more quickly than expected.
Second, the protesters do not need to provide solutions. Most of the pathway to lower carbon has been well mapped out for some time. There is inertia where action is needed. And spurring action is precisely the aim of the protests. – Yours, etc,
CORMAC MADDEN
Glenageary, Co Dublin.