Letters to the Editor: climate, speed and the Pope

Otago Daily Times

23-04-2025

Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including doing our bit for the climate, the speed problem on Glen Rd, and a Pope with intellect and compassion. Hopes expressed for qualities of next pope
I am no fan of the Catholic Church because, too often throughout its history, it sided with the powerful and persecuted the very people it was formed to protect, a state of affairs that continues today in spite of efforts to change.
But I deeply admired and respected Pope Francis who had this to say, in Laudato Si, his encyclical in 2015: "The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth ... The problem is that we still lack the culture needed to confront this crisis. We lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths ... Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain."
I sincerely hope that the College of Cardinals choose a replacement for the late Pope with a similar blend of intellectual ability and compassion. Doing our bit
One of the catch-cries from our politicians when trying to sell a policy is to use the phrase "we need to do our bit". This time around it is by spending billions of dollars on building up our armed forces to do what? Support other nations to slaughter human beings and turn their cities into rubble, and/or expecting another nation to rescue us from whomever.
What about the opportunity costs with that money?
Don't "we need to do our bit" as a nation to prioritise our spending on our citizens' health and wellbeing, protection of the natural world, curbing the causes of climate change and dealing with the immediate and after-effects of destructive weather events? Wouldn't New Zealand be wiser "doing our bit" towards being as neutral as possible whilst expressing a voice for peace? Irony abounds
I find it ironic that the Grey District Mayor Tania Gibson tells Denniston Plateau campers/protesters to "bugger off" when the region Gibson lives in is one of the more severely affected by climate change, i.e. ocean rising and flooding in Westport and Hokitika.
Community and government leaders, in their limited and narrow outlook are ignoring climate impacts on coastal communities. Leaders of change are needed to start, not delay, transitioning away from fossil fuels, greenhouse gases in keeping with our targets.
Climate scientists and specialists are scrambling to keep up with emissions rapidly increasing. Parochialism is not helpful. We are all affected by businesses, industries and communities not acting to reduce for monetary reasons.
Communities are concerned about employment because mining has been their wealth. Assistance to transition communities dependent on industries that increase our greenhouse gases is needed. But no, we have the usual obnoxious remarks by Minister Shane Jones, calling protesters "blow-ins". Not helpful.
The protesters' actions are motivated to protect a unique environment, a taonga and give a wake-up call that mining is harmful to the planet and future generations. What he said: the road is used as a race track
Lindsay Hardy: thank you. As a Glen Rd resident for several years I can affirm everything he said ( ODT 23.4.25).
The road is regarded as a race track, and therefore treated as such. Speed limit rules do not apply. It's as fast as you can, as far as you can.
It is busier than a state highway. It traumatises newcomers — I have seen this and they have told me.
On windless days the valley is enclosed in petrol fumes encouraged by roaring vehicles with no mufflers belching out clouds of dark residue. I go to the beach to ease my lungs.
For me, the most difficult thing to adjust to was drivers towing empty trailers who delight in crashing down the road as fast as they can. I honestly think it's a miracle there's been only three incidents in 18 months.
I have had double glazed windows installed which reduced the noise. I often considered asking the city council about speed bumps, which are on many roads in the city. But rightly or wrongly, I feel the local culture is that Glen Rd is for vehicles, not residents.
We live beside an officially designated race track, so that's our fault and we must live with it. Many of us can only park on one side of the road. So thank you Mr Hardy for saying what we are all thinking.
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