Dear Editor,
I wholeheartedly commend Trevor White for his outstanding commentary, “The deadly seriousness of the Aer Lingus and DAA dual performance” (Opinion & Analysis, October 12th). The considerable influence of the aviation sector on carbon emissions warrants severe attention and management.
Living on an island isn’t a reasonable justification for the tolerance of 32 million people annually journeying through Dublin, exacerbating the unsustainable pollution levels. The governing bodies must persist in their quest to further reduce the passenger threshold to below 25 million in the forthcoming years.
Nonetheless, it must be noted that White’s narrative did not accurately represent the substantial efforts made by the Irish tourism and aviation industries in shrinking their carbon footprints.
White was correct in stating that “Responsible Ambition” was the overarching theme of the tourism conference, with the challenging quandary between business expansion and environmental sustainability thoroughly addressed. The United Nations itself advocates for the harmonious existence of both for sustainable tourism.
Ireland is steadily heading towards significant growth in this area, eliminating any cause for White’s perceived embarrassment over his professional involvement. Look no further than the boat operators on the Shannon river, who’ve impressively transitioned from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil this year, hence decreasing their carbon footprint by more than 90%. This proves that it’s indeed possible to balance economic growth with carbon reduction.
Without a doubt, air travel presents a more intricate issue and its decarbonisation process poses significant challenges. However, the critics seem to overlook Ireland’s steady progress in this direction.
Even though White may not be particularly thrilled by the newer, environmentally-friendly aircraft that emit lesser noise and pollution, he must have felt some kind of awe at last year’s pioneering transatlantic flight. The Virgin Boeing flight – the first to use sustainable aviation fuel – managed to travel from London’s Heathrow to JFK in New York, demonstrating a significant step forward.
We possess the technological capacity to make aviation more sustainable and this concept is certainly being embraced by the Irish aviation industry. A more incentivised approach, rather than a punitive one, could speed up this transition. Given how integral international visitors are to the Irish tourism economy, certain quarters could afford to be less dismissive and reproachful.
Regards,
Eoghan O’Mara
Walsh,
Chief Executive Officer,
Irish Tourism Industry Confederation,
Dublin 18.
In addition, Mr Trevor White has criticised the heads of Aer Lingus and the DAA for their efforts to expand the passenger limit at Dublin Airport – an action that much of the public would consider as part of their expected duties. The push to expand the cap is a response to the growing demand from travellers who are already exceeding the current limit. Mr White might suggest that the frequent flying public is in error and needs to be restricted. Perhaps he would like to articulate his ideas regarding this matter in an upcoming article or letter on these pages.
If his arguments are persuasive, it’s likely that public demand will decrease naturally, thus resolving the issue of the cap.
Kind regards,
Rory Wheatley,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.