Sir, – It seems that the current intense discussions over the size of emissions cuts required of the agricultural sector may result in a reduction in those cuts (“Carbon emissions: 24 to 25 per cent cut for agricultural sector by 2030 could be possible compromise to secure deal”, News, July 25th). If this compromise does in fact come about, it will require that either the overall targets will be intentionally missed, or that other sectors will have to make up the shortfall.
The other largest emitting sectors are electricity generation, which is already pursuing extremely ambitious targets, and transport. There are many ways of decarbonising transport, but the cheapest, quickest, and most beneficial overall is to start taking capacity away from cars in our cities and reallocating it to other modes of transport.
Unfortunately, many politicians from the same parties that are fighting for reduced agricultural targets also have a long record of fighting to preserve as much car access as possible to our urban spaces.
Politicians who engage in “having one’s cake and eating it” tactics like this are not just prioritising their own short-term prospects by ducking difficult decisions; they’re literally engaged in storing up problems for the coming years (not decades), with each passing year, making the solutions harder and harder to implement. What’s needed instead is to show some climate leadership, and to clearly acknowledge and communicate these trade-offs to voters. – Yours, etc,
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DAVE MATHIESON,
Salthill,
Galway.
Sir, – Pearse Doherty justifies staying quiet on the appropriate cut in carbon emissions from the agriculture sector on the interesting grounds that Sinn Féin does have enough information on which to take a view (News, July 25th). That never stopped it before.
Cuts in our carbon emissions will impose hardship or at least inconvenience on all of us and will, therefore, be unpopular. Sinn Féin doesn’t do unpopular. Its approach here is as elsewhere. Advocate noisily for additional spending programmes and to hell with the cost. But take a vow of silence on necessary but unpopular measures. – Yours, etc,
PAT O’BRIEN,
Crossmolina,
Co Mayo.