### Reader’s Letter to The Guardian, 25th October 2024 ###
Dear Editor,
So the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) tells us that the world is on track to fall far short of its emissions reductions targets (Report by Damian Carrington, The Guardian, 24th October 2024, link below). That doesn’t surprise me as I don’t see much happening with the changes that I do see (large cars, cheap flights, electronic gadgetry, air-conditioning, etc.) going in exactly the wrong direction.
The report tells us that we need more renewable energy with Inger Andersen (of UNEP) asserting that “The finance and technology to slash emissions exist”. So, to sum up, we need “money” and “technology” to solve the problem?
I’m sorry but I certainly don’t see it that way! I think that all we need is the “will” to stop doing the “bad stuff”. For example we have legs so why can’t we simply walk, cycle or take public transport? That costs next-to-nothing and requires no new technology. And why are we forever jetting off to distant destinations (at knock-down prices!) and trucking or air-freighting exotic produce in from far away? Surely all we need is to have more local economies and more local holiday destinations!
None of this is rocket-science but, so as long as the powers-that-be are busy focusing on hi-tech, new-tech or often “unicorn-tech”, we will continue to blissfully amble along towards climate-Armageddon.
God help us!
Yours,
Alan Mitcham
Link to original article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/24/crunch-time-for-real-un-says-time-for-climate-delays-has-run-out
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