Woke environmentalism

Sir,

Are there any limits to where woke environmentalism or climate change alarm will take us?

UK newspapers recently reported concern about the use of Isle of Islay peat for whisky distilling. Whisky in Scotland may be an amazing byproduct of successful missionary work in the Highlands and Islands by Irish monks.

The recipe for whisky is believed by some to have been carried to Scotland by Irish monks. When working as a young GP on Islay, during a very memorable and enjoyable year in the 1990s, there seemed to be rather a lot of peat and fresh water on evidence. Depletion of Islay peat by the distilling industry, or concern about its conversion into greenhouse gases, sounds like fake news.

One of the sharpest critics of woke fads, or other unbalanced forms of emotionalism, has to be the Rev David Robertson. The former Moderator of the Free Church blogs at ‘wee flea. com’, which contains a variety of thoughts and reflections, by one of the sharpest and funniest media communicators.

The August 15 post on Rev Robertson’s blog is entitled ‘Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Joy’ and considers how seeds sown by evangelists sometimes take years or decades to sprout. Rev Robertson’s excellent talk starts about 30 minutes into the posted video.

There is probably a very limited chance of whisky distilling being terminated on Islay for fear of peat depletion. There is even less chance of evangelism ceasing, because ‘one-solitary-life’ has clearly shaped human destiny more than any other.

This legacy can never be erased from human history or consciousness, and will typically draw one of two responses: scepticism or reverence.

Yours,

JT Hardy, Belfast