Sir, – In the past weeks we have watched as Europe burns. The parallels with the second World War were dramatic, as hundreds of people were evacuated, some died, homes, streets and towns decimated.
Here in Ireland, although we had more minor fires, we read assertions that our benign climate may not only save us from the horrors of fire, but also stimulate our tourist trade.
But reliance on this would be very unwise. Firstly we must assume Ireland will not be immune to the dramatic climate changes. Secondly we must, as a nation, adopt a wartime approach of preparing for dramatically higher temperatures and wild fires, and crucially implementing the reduction in use of fossil fuels that we are already committed to.
The fact is that to date we have treated these commitments as optional. I hear e calls to reverse the fossil fuel tax concessions implemented earlier in the year. We need to ensure that everyone understands that our excessive use of fossil fuels is the root cause of the problem. Any concessions should be carefully designed to only support those in real need.
RM Block
We need a national effort, not just to meet these targets but to exceed them. Amazingly we have much of the groundwork completed to facilitate the change required. But we need now to embrace wartime thinking and practice to actually implement them as soon as possible.
Instead of talking about 2030 commitments, we need to execute and complete them earlier. If this requires changes to the law, we should expect our lawmakers to act appropriately.
We have been given a huge warning, and it’s imperative we act now. – Yours, etc,
DAVID SPROTT,
Ballincollig,
Cork.
