Sir, – The Irish Times editorial (November 1st) on the unfolding human horror of the fatal flash floods in Spain asks why the climate crisis “is not at the top of our political agendas”.
For Irish citizens watching the devastation and death toll in Spain, which follows a long list of deadly extreme weather events across Europe and the world, our future, the one we’re gifting to today’s children, is being shaped before our eyes. It challenges us to rethink our priorities, to question a system that is dependent on fossil-fuel growth without costing the long-term price we are paying for it.
In the wake of the disaster that hit the Valencia region, the most powerful image was that of hundreds and hundreds of ordinary people, carrying rakes, brushes, spades, carrier bags of food and supplies, walking together to help the survivors and begin the clean up. That instinct to rush to care and repair defines the best of humanity. Ireland has a long tradition of it. Our challenge is to recognise the call we face to shift from bystander mode, and from passivity to empathy, and realise our collective power to change the narrative and motivate that care response to prevent disaster as well as respond to it. The environmental philosopher and writer Dr Kathleen Dean Moore says our human motivation to act is to protect what we truly value: “What do we love too much to lose ?”
In a democracy, our greatest power is the power to vote, and to be prepared to ask those who offer to lead us what do they value and if they have the imagination to collectively guide us in shaping a climate-just and resilient society. A climate-just society sees housing, health, transport, energy, security, justice and food within a system not silos. Our personal actions count, but we need systemic, holistic and transformative change across all sectors to secure a liveable world for ourselves and for future generations. As Irish citizens, our most effective action in the coming weeks will be to put climate on the political agenda, to challenge political parties and politicians on their record and promises, and to ask where are their policies, imagination and vision for 2030? We need to remind them that the time is short, and today’s children will be just beginning their own adult lives when the UN Environment Programme Emissions Gap Report 2024 projects global warming could be as high as 3.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels if we continue “business as usual” policies.
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When we vote we have an opportunity to profoundly show we care and not wait for an impending disaster to trigger it. – Yours, etc,
HELEN SHAW,
Director,
Athena Media,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – I share Kevin O Sullivan’s scepticism about COP29′s ability to drive meaningful climate action (“Cop29: Can a bloated and cumbersome process undermined by self-interest deliver for our planet?”, Weekend, November 2nd).
The complexity and interconnectedness of individual actions and systemic changes seem to be overlooked, and the political will for significant shifts is often lacking. Many leaders struggle with personal changes, such as adopting plant-based diets or reducing fossil fuel use, so how can they be expected to lead on national or even global changes? Local, community-led actions are vital; there are some volunteer-led Sustainable Energy Communities, like Connecting Cabra in Dublin 7, doing outstanding work fostering sustainable practices from the ground up. This grassroots approach can effectively address climate challenges by aligning local efforts with broader national goals, making a difference through conversations and leading by example. Global conferences like Cop29 have their place but the real momentum for change lies in empowering communities to lead by example, demonstrating that collective local action can indeed drive the systemic changes our planet urgently needs. – Yours, etc,
LOUISA MOSS,
Dublin 7.