Sir, – Eamon Ryan’s remarks that taking shorter showers can conserve energy have been followed by the usual backlash, mostly, it seems, because of the implication that people are luxuriating in long steamy showers in a time of ever-increasing energy bills.
Whatever the merits or otherwise of this individual piece of advice, one thing is very clear – Eamon Ryan and his party colleagues are outliers in Government when it comes to calling for concrete climate mitigation measures. Members of other Government parties are mostly content with sticking to the tried-and-tested formula of making soothing noises about the need for climate action while continuing to push for measures, particularly in their local constituencies, that will only preserve our current high emissions.
With the clock most definitely ticking (“Just three years left to stop worst of global warming, UN body warns”, News April 5th) it’s worth reflecting that no matter how inappropriate or annoying one may find these suggestions, it’s not Mr Ryan’s job to “fix” climate change – it’s for the whole Government. So if taking shorter showers is off the table, it makes sense to ask representatives from other parties what their suggestions are to urgently reduce emissions, because the days of politicians pretending that it’s somebody else’s problem should surely be long gone. – Yours, etc,
DAVE MATHIESON,
Salthill,
Galway.
Sir, – Perhaps Eamon Ryan is annoying people because he points out the things that we ourselves can do if we want to spare money instead of waiting for the Government to do it all for us, or maybe give us more that we can waste. Taking shorter showers would save electricity. It would also save water, which is not a free commodity, despite the ravings of some irresponsible politicians. – Yours, etc,
MARGARET LEE,
Newport,
Co Tipperary.
Sir, – I understand the Green Party leader intends on bringing a “package of measures” to Cabinet in the coming days to assist with the cost of living. This “package” includes reference to a public awareness campaign aiming to reduce the length of time people spend in the shower, and a suggestion that people walk or cycle to work as opposed to driving.
It’s as though the Minister has learned nothing from his recent gaffe where he called on people to drive more slowly to save fuel. It is as if the Green Party thinks this whole thing is a joke; it’s as if they’re laughing at us.
The Government is showing a complete lack of understanding of what life is like for those of us living in rural areas. It isn’t that we have poor public transport here, it’s that we don’t have any public transport options. We have no choice but to drive the children to football training, we have to drive to the shop, to the post office, etc.
Here in rural Ireland we show extreme care for our environment, with many families and small farmers growing their own organic vegetables and so on. We’re struggling enormously with the cost of fertiliser and the cost of fuel.
The Green Party needs to cop itself on, and I would urge Eamon Ryan to step outside of the Dublin Bay South constituency and visit us in rural Ireland, to get an actual understanding of what life is like here. I will not be setting an alarm clock while I’m in the shower. I won’t be driving at a snail’s pace, and I won’t be walking the three miles to the shop each day for groceries.
We need real support, not a public information campaign! – Yours, etc,
LUKE SILKE,
Tuam,
Co Galway.
Sir, – What’s wrong with wanting people to cut down on water and energy usage? Judging by the letter writers belittling Eamon Ryan’s suggestion that people cut back on water and energy usage, one must, notwithstanding their addresses, assume that they’re living on a different planet. – Yours, etc,
TOM MOLONEY,
Broadford,
Co Limerick.
Sir, – Eamon Ryan probably doesn’t realise that the biggest wastage of water occurs when the hot tap is turned on and one has to wait for the hot water to arrive at the tap. Given the size of some of the houses and extensions nowadays the hot water has to travel a very long way.
Maybe Mr Ryan thinks we all have electric showers that deliver instant hot water?
Can I suggest we collect the cold water while waiting for the hot, and use it to brush our teeth, water the vegetables in the window boxes and then there should then be enough to flush the toilet. – Yours, etc,
RICHARD ALLEN,
Cummeen,
Sligo.
Sir, – Shorter showers and drive less, that is the creative light-bulb solution to our energy costs! As the Taoiseach said in defending Eamon Ryan’s call to bring down energy costs: “Energy efficiency makes sense anytime of the year, crisis or no crisis, and let’s not be so dismissive of that.”
I can hear Derek Trotter’s words ringing in my ears: “You know it makes sense.” – Yours, etc,
AIDAN RODDY,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.
Sir, – Perhaps readers could come up with some positive proposals to help us reduce our dependency on fossil fuels instead of taking cheap shots at the Minister. If the planet is depending on such individuals to stem climate change, then even short showers will be become a thing of the past. – Yours, etc,
JOHN HICKEY,
Annascaul,
Co Kerry.