Doing nothing on climate is not an option

THERE were two unhelpful letters on the subject of global warming presented in the Otago Daily Times

(Letters, 1.10.20).

In particular, the one by Peter Foster in which he claims the cost of the Zero Carbon Act to be ‘‘humongous’’ and the outcome attributable to New Zealand to be negligible.

What he has not grasped is that this is not a New Zealand issue, but a whole world issue in which we are but one member.

You could divide the world into groups of five million, and each one could claim their efforts would be too costly and the impact meaningless. The result, which may well be happening in many places, would (will) be too little, too late.

He and many others appear to be fixated on certain dates such as 2100. These are important milestones in our efforts, but veil the blunt fact that global temperatures are rising, and will continue to accelerate well past 2100, with huge consequences.

The extent of the impacts can only be moderated by our activity, building vigorously from now.

The second letter by Mathew Zacharias is unhelpful in that it is disparaging of at least one attempt to do our part. Hopefully, he is not suggesting, as is the above writer, that we just throw in the towel.

Steve Moynihan

Cromwell