Sir, – Turf and peat comprise less than 4 per cent of Ireland’s fossil fuel consumption, so even an outright ban on the burning of turf would barely make a dent in the Government’s pipe-dream plan to reduce Ireland’s carbon emissions by 51 per cent by 2030, and would reduce global carbon emissions by just 0.0004 per cent. Turf is literally a drop in the proverbial ocean. And yet members of the Green Party have defended the recent proposals on turf with an almost religious zeal, warning that people will die from poor air quality and that areas which use turf will be flooded if nothing is done.
This controversy shows that, increasingly, policies pursued in the name of tackling climate change are less about saving the planet than they are about an urban political establishment waging a culture war against the lifestyles of rural and provincial people who they view as unsophisticated and backward. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
A chara, – Some TDs appear to be unaware that their colleague Eamon Ryan is an elected representative delivering on what he was democratically elected to do.
Debate is necessary and healthy and should lead toward a consensus in legislation that benefits all in our society, but the language and manner of debate in the Dáil chamber was not only frustrating for the Ceann Comhairle, it was disrespectful to the constituency who voted in favour of a more environmentally conscious agenda and undermines the democratic foundations of our political system. – Is mise,
DAVID KEARNEY,
Ardee,
Co Louth.
Sir, – There are some interesting points raised by Michael McDowell ("Ireland is drifting towards permanent energy crisis", Opinion & Analysis, April 27th). However, he suggests that the Government "must prioritise safeguarding our economy" rather than "blindly adhere to climate goals that were set in a very different political and economic pre-Ukraine era".
This sums up one of the major problems with solving the climate crises. Climate change is the greatest threat to security globally and to the health and wellbeing of all humans.
Michael McDowell and others, including Sinn Féin representatives, seem to think that we can deal with climate change when we have solved other problems.
In other words, dealing with climate change is a luxury we can sort out with when it suits us best politically and economically. This suggests that they do not really understand the seriousness of climate change. We cannot put off dealing with climate change until some convenient time comes along.
It may well be the case that there may need to be big changes in food production, transport and smart thinking on energy demand while a robust low-carbon farming and energy system is put in place. This is an emergency after all.
The Covid pandemic is a good example of dealing with a crises globally and the speed with which good vaccines were produced shows what we can achieve if we put our minds to it. There were various restrictions on society which most people accepted as necessary.
The global climate crises must be addressed with the same seriousness as the Covid pandemic and this will lead to profound changes in society. – Yours, etc,
NICK ARMSTRONG,
Dundrum,
Dublin 14.