Letters

Lifestyle changes for all

Climate targets mean focus must shift to actions urgently required

Tue Aug 02 2022 - 02:15

Sir, — In her report on a recent briefing to the Government, Jennifer Bray highlights the unprecedented changes that are needed in our economy and our lifestyles if we are to avoid runaway climate change (“Unprecedented changes needed if climate targets are to be met, Cabinet warned”, News, August 1st).

After months of bickering about climate targets, the report by McKinsey draws attention to the next stage of the debate: the focus will need to shift from how much change is required, to what kind of change is needed.

In that respect many Government departments — and many citizens — are like proverbial rabbits in the headlights, bewildered by the scale and complexity of the challenge. The background noise of 50 years of warnings that we are doing irreversible damage to our environment has now become a deafening noise, urging us to change our ways, but threatening to overwhelm us.

We know that behavioural change is difficult. Breaking bad habits takes effort and energy, and requires us to revise many of the excuses we had allowed ourselves.

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Fortunately, over the past five decades we have not only vastly improved our understanding of humanity’s impact on the world’s climate, we have also learned a great deal about how to make lasting changes in our behaviour.

All over Ireland, there are people and organisations that have experience in helping people make positive changes in their lifestyles. Now is the time to build on that expertise.

It is time for all of us to take up the invitation to contribute to our new national endeavour of building an Ireland where we do better in looking after each other and the planet. — Yours, etc,

HANS ZOMER,

Chief executive officer,

Global Action Plan,

Ballymun, Dublin 9.

Sir — Jennifer Bray conveys crucial information for industry, business and households in her report. When it comes to households, however, electric vehicles (cars and trucks) are out of reach of most people, and do nothing to lessen road congestion, fatalities, noise and tire pollution.

Driving less is another step households can take. Share trips with neighbours. Try out public transportation and combine it with walking.

For longer trips, trains have a huge advantage over electric vehicles and even buses because they use far less energy of all types. Trains plus buses or taxis for “first and last mile” will help slash emissions. — Yours, etc,

MARY COGAN PATERSON,

Seattle, Washington.

Sir, — We need more plants and trees and less livestock. We need more biodiversity and less monocultures. We need to reduce our dependence on fossils fuels and to show greater willingness to wear a jumper when it is cold instead of turning on the heating, or to cycle a bike as an alternative to taking the car.

We need better public transport, and road and rail systems that promote the use of public transport and bicycles over private cars. We need more greenways, and public transport needs to make greater allowance for the carrying of bicycles to create good options for holidaying without the car.

We need to better manage the vast amounts of waste we produce. We need our economic systems to support sustainability rather than consumerism. If saving ourselves from climate change doesn’t fit our business model, we need a new business model.

We need to ensure that everyone shares the cost, and not just penalise those at the front line of change, and we need to ensure that allowances are made for those who cannot (rather than will not) adapt to different ways of doing things.

All this involves considerable change, is difficult to do, and not everyone wants to do it. However, there are strong reasons for taking these actions, including trying to avoid the devastating consequences of climate change and species extinction. — Yours, etc,

COLIN WALSH,

Templeogue,

Dublin 6W.