Madam, - Last Saturday your paper reported on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and their fourth synthesis report on climate change telling us that climate change will have "abrupt" and "irreversible" consequences.
About a month ago the UN Environment Programme released a different report titled Geo 4, the fourth Global Environment Outlook, warning us that humanity is at risk.
In 1969 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a doctor from Switzerland, presented the Kübler-Ross model, which describes, in five discrete stages, the process by which people deal with "catastrophic" news.
The five stages are: 1, denial; 2, anger; 3, bargaining; 4, depression; 5, acceptance.
When dealing with the catastrophic implications of climate change, do I get the sense that humanity may be moving out of denial? - Yours, etc,
GAVIN HARTE, Dartmouth Square, Dublin 6.
Madam, - We agree with Victoria White (November 16th) that politicians of all parties are hugely unsure of the right way to deal with the problems of climate change. However, we do not believe, as she does, that it is the responsibility of the media to lead politicians. We elect the politicians; we pay them generously and expect them to lead us. We do not expect them to dither while they look to the media to give them a lead.
Climate change, peak oil and the interaction of energy, environment and economics are complex issues. While the Government may have had expert advice on some aspects of these subjects, it clearly has not had enough to make it confident in its ability to lead the country on a programme to deal with them. If it had, we would not be failing so hopelessly in meeting our Kyoto targets and in securing our future energy supplies.
Today, with fewer than a handful of engineers and scientists among its members, and without expert external advice, the Oireachtas is still content to condemn nuclear power - even though that the EU, the Vatican, and the governments of more than two-thirds of the world population agree that nuclear power can help to stave off climate change and prevent an energy crisis. It seems to be a case of "all out of step but our son John".
The Government is expected to lead, especially when the issues are as critical and urgent as they are today with climate change and peak oil. Politicians could be pleasantly surprised at public reaction to a realistic plan to address these urgent problems. A first step would be to call together a group of experts to advise on the best mix for this country's future energy needs. - Yours, etc,
FRANK TURVEY, Church Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow; DAVID SOWBY, Knocksinna Crescent, Dublin 18.