Sir, – John Bristow (Letters, May 6th) asks if our efforts to mitigate climate change would be worth it and seeks answers as to why Ireland should bother doing anything about a global problem of which we are a small part.
Cleaner air, fewer deaths from air pollution; fast and efficient public transport; a radical reduction in chronic traffic congestion; shorter commutes; more time to spend with families and friends; more green spaces; livable cities; fewer road deaths; healthier convivial lifestyles and reduced healthcare costs; streets where children can safely walk and cycle to school; unpolluted waters; the return of nature; avoiding the importation of €6 billion of fossil fuels and exposure to capricious and dwindling international oil markets; indigenous clean industries; local employment; warmer homes; and more resilience to severe climate related storms, floods and droughts, are but a few. – Yours, etc,
GAVIN DALY,
Dublin 1.
A chara, – John Bristow expresses a fair concern that if Ireland acts alone in reducing carbon emissions the impact globally would be minimal.
In the first instance, it is a good thing for countries to lead by example. Ireland was the first country in the world to introduce a plastic bag levy and to also ban smoking indoors in public venues, measures which were copied globally.
The food produced in Ireland is already among the “greenest” in the world. If we can lead by doing that in an even more sustainable way, while ensuring an adequate income for farm families, that is a goal worth pursuing in itself.
If we can use our resources in a more efficient way and minimise waste, that has long-term economic benefits.
If we invest in research and technology to assist in carbon reduction, this will not only benefit us domestically but will contribute to a global understanding of what we need to do.
But it is where Mr Bristow references our European Union membership that it is also essential that we act in concert with others. The EU wields significant global economic and soft power. It is more important now than ever that this is used to address the existential challenge that is climate change. We should learn from the Covid-19 crisis that closer co-operation by member states and a capacity and willingness to act on an issue that affects us all will be vital.
An incoming government’s foreign policy needs to reflect a desire to tackle this international challenge.
We are a small nation but we should not be afraid to act nor to lead. – Is mise,
Senator MALCOLM
BYRNE,
(Fianna Fáil),
Gorey,
Co Wexford.
Sir, – John Bristow in his excellent letter highlights the very small effect Ireland would have on global warming if we are successful in meeting our carbon emission targets.
As Mr Bristow points out, we account for less than a tenth of 1 per cent of global carbon emissions compared to the 60 per cent that China, US, India, Russia and Japan collectively produce.
This is no reason for us not to take the necessary steps to cut our emissions, but it does strongly indicate that the EU must take a tougher line with the five aforementioned states.
The MEPs have got to become a lot more vocal on this critical issue, and use the strength of the EU bloc’s trading muscle to bring the worst offenders into line. This is the very least we can do for our grandchildren and their children. – Yours, etc,
MIKE CORMACK,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – John Bristow asks a very valid question. Why should we in Ireland take steps to address our greenhouse gas emissions, when we account for so little of global output?
He is right, of course. The material difference we can make is tiny.
But doing everything we can to reduce our environmental impact is a moral choice.
We can choose to make things better for our children and grandchildren and for those living in climate-stressed lands, or we can choose to add to their impoverishment, their hunger, their displacement, their insecurity.
We can leave it to others to do the work, while we carry on regardless, or we can do whatever is in our power. We can be part of the problem or part of the solution.
Quite apart from that, it is clear that the era of fossil fuels has limited time to run. We could, as he suggests, carry on as if the future will look like the recent past. If we do so, we will invest in yesterday’s technologies, yesterday’s infrastructure, yesterday’s economics.
On the other hand, if we accept the need for change, we can begin to create the new, cleaner, healthier, more sustainable systems the world needs. – Yours, etc,
PAUL HOLDEN,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.