Sir, – Fintan O'Toole's choice to juxtapose the burning of turf in Offaly with the emissions of BMWs in Killiney is a curious one, as BMWs in Offaly are part of the problem too ("Urbanites have no right to preach to those who burn turf", Opinion & Analysis, May 3rd).
Average distance travelled by a private car in Dublin, according to the CSO Transport Omnibus for 2020, is 9,575 kilometres per year. By contrast, cars in rural counties cover around 13,000km, with Offaly cars covering an average of 13,388km, and Roscommon topping the mileage chart at an average of 14,193km per year. 2016 census data informs us that private cars ownership is also highest in rural areas, with Roscommon having 0.523 cars per person, and Dublin having 0.41.
If we were to take 1000 people from each county, there would be 532 cars from Roscommon and 410 from Dublin, with the Roscommon vehicles travelling a total of 7.56 million km per year, and the Dublin cohort travelling 3.9 million km. Per person, rural dwellers generate almost double the private car mileage that is generated by urban dwellers – and double the emissions, double the fossil fuel consumption, etc.
With 37 per cent of our population living in rural areas, that means that a third of our population generates half the pollution. This is the elephant in the room, the one that, due to the vociferous aggression of rural lobbyists, no politician is brave enough to address.
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Attempting to address climate change without acknowledging the inherently less sustainable nature of rural living is akin to rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic. – Yours, etc,
JOHN THOMPSON,
Phibsboro,
Dublin 7.