Sir, – Your Editorial (June 22nd) on Ireland’s à la carte approach to battling climate change is timely.
There is no getting away from fact that reversing, or even mitigating, the impact of climate change requires sacrifices from all in society. This, of course, is the conundrum facing the Irish politicians residing as they do in a particularly parochial system where any edicts in the national interest are dismissed as elitist.
As a country we have benefited hugely from our co-operative approach to movement of international capital across borders.
Now is our time to step up and drive the international response to climate change, not sit at the back of the class and hope somebody else will look after it. Climate is the biggest issue facing humanity.
It is a catalyst for mass hunger, social unrest, war, mass migration and ultimately the failure of states. This is an international issue requiring an international response.
It is not a time to be looking for a free pass, which seems to be the attitude of this and previous Irish governments. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Cork.