Climate change and the Citizens’ Assembly

Sir, – I’m in full agreement with the members of the Citizens’ Assembly who voted by a margin of 68 in support of the proposition that the State should spend at least twice as much on the funding of public transport as it does on the road infrastructure.

Clearly, as we all know, nothing will be done to improve public transport until some of our public representatives actually use it; so we should introduce a removal of petrol expenses for our public representatives, to be replaced by free travel cards usable on all public transport.

For this development to occur we merely need to wait for climate change to get so critical as to make hell itself freeze over. Because we all know that needs to happen first. – Yours, etc,

BRENDAN TREACY,

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Drumree, Co Meath.

Sir, – Why cannot the same informed presentations be made to the people through the national broadcaster and inform the people who matter in all this – us, the voters – and not a handpicked group whose underlying function seems to be to act as a buffer for the Government and to keep those controversial topics at arm’s length from the administration? – Yours, etc,

BOB BARRY,

Ashbourne,

Co Meath.

Sir, – Seeing as how Ireland produces approximately 1/256th of the world’s GDP, is there not something of the Skibbereen Eagle about the conclusions of our groupthink-tank in Malahide last weekend? The alacrity with which it voted to rush through more carbon taxes on the populace is astounding.

I would suggest that these “best boy in class” efforts regarding anthropogenic global warming will have about as much chance of stopping climate change as the visit to North Korea by the Independent Alliance will have on a peaceful resolution of that conflict.

In passing, I note that not a word about nuclear power left the lips of any of the delegates. – Yours, etc,

PJ MALONEY,

Kilbeggan,

Co Westmeath.