EDITOR – Strange, isn’t it? I first heard about climate change in 1980. I wondered when it would reach the media and when governments would take positive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
So, decades later, the media finally put out the information that has been increasingly gathered over the years by climate scientists.
A certain section of the public refuse to believe it. And still imperceptible action by world governments – or attempts at action are thwarted by poor planning or a well-orchestrated push against it by big industry.
The effects of temperature rise are as predicted or worse. Still some people much prefer to get grit in their eyes by burying their heads in the sand, or sore throats from spewing out their claptrap theories. I despair. The last thing we want is RTÉ giving airtime to these people. I’m all for a good discussion – but based on the best scientific research. There has been quite enough evidence presented, mulled over and double-checked.
The answer is the same – the world is in dire trouble.
RTÉ has begun in a small way but needs greater focus on how we get ourselves out of this mess and let the conspiracy theorists and their ilk stew in their own juice.
Sekeeta Crowley
Knockanoulty, Baltimore.
Our biodiversity plan is nothing but a fig leaf
EDITOR –As politicians and farmers waltz up and down the percentage scale, Ireland is already sliding in studs-up into biodiversity.
One government department recently made three political decisions which show that Irish wildlife protection is nothing more than a political fig leaf, soaking in a bath of greenwash.
Shoe-horned in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which has responsibility for habitat and wildlife protection, has decided not to establish a wildlife crime unit to tackle the illegal persecution of wildlife.
This decision was based on a political refusal to fund and resource this unit so that it could actually have an impact on reducing habitat and wildlife crime.
The 2022/2023 hare coursing licence has been issued despite the universal view that this activity is a threat to the existence of the Irish hare.
When the abuse of a wild animal is believed to be a vital cog in protecting the environment and its wildlife, then it’s time to fire up the barbecue for panda steaks. The Wild Bird Declaration was recently signed into law. This allows for the killing of birds like magpie, rook, jackdaw, wood pigeon and herring gull – under the spurious reason that these birds represent a threat to public health or safety or that they have the avian temerity to cast a beady eye over crops.
This ‘death by firearm’ lasts until April 2023 which will please those who espouse the view that ‘if it flies, it dies’.
For the hare, the fox, the badger and birds of sky, shore and ditch, the only climate change they want is political.
John Tierney
Association of Hunt Saboteurs
Dublin 1.
Time for ‘feet on street’ over energy prices
EDITOR – How are pensioners supposed to get through this coming winter?
We can’t get turf and the price of coal is gone sky high and we cannot afford to light a fire to keep warm on the cold long evenings.
Thanks to this so-called Green Party even boiling a cup of tea is getting unaffordable due to the high energy prices – total greed by the energy companies who are making huge profits.
Older people will be dying in their beds from hypothermia and all because our government has sold off our energy resources to private companies for little or nothing to feather their own nests.
Even the costs of the bare essentials like bread, butter and milk have become unaffordable now.
It is high time we had feet on the streets like we had with the water charges.
Noel Harrington
Kinsale.
