Sir, – The recent fuel protests exposed deep vulnerabilities in Ireland’s energy system, national security and social cohesion. While the cost-of-living crisis affects everyone, those working in agriculture and haulage are uniquely exposed to fuel price shocks.
While the “people of Ireland”, invoked widely last week, largely sympathised with their frustration, many were unhappy with the tactics employed.
Much of the anger was directed at political leaders, yet the wider causes of this crisis received little attention. Our society remains built on a single, finite resource: oil. It is drawn largely from some of the world’s most unstable regions. Disruptions to supply are therefore inevitable. Furthermore, continued dependence is also driving a climate crisis which is already affecting Irish communities.
Despite frequent references to a “just transition”, there is little sense of a shared national mission to achieve it. Last week’s events showed how reliant we remain on fossil fuels and how culturally embedded that dependence is.
RM Block
Ireland now faces a choice: continue reacting to each shock, or confront our vulnerability and build a transition away from fossil fuels that the people of Ireland can genuinely support. – Yours, etc,
DR JOHN MORRISSEY
Associate Professor, Geography,
University of Limerick.
Sir, – Some might be of the opinion that the writing was on the wall concerning last week’s fuel protests. Fianna Fáil were in power for over 50 years and Fine Gael have been in government since 2011.
However, neither of the parties seems capable of reading what’s also screaming out in capital letters on many walls – namely that renewable energy is the long-term solution to Ireland’s continued survival.
So please, as a matter of urgency, free up the gas in the Atlantic and negotiate with energy suppliers to build wind turbines and also solar panels. Let’s ensure a future for our children and, hopefully, grandchildren. – Yours, etc,
FERGUS MADDEN
Goatstown,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – The Taoiseach condemned the blockade of the State’s only oil refinery, in Whitegate, as an “act of national sabotage” (April 9th).
Does anyone know if a risk assessment was ever done regarding the possibility of sabotage in the form of a disruptive blockade of Whitegate and its local road network?
If so, what actions were recommended? – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS FENNESSY
Waterford.
