Longford Leader columnist Mattie Fox: Need to look at the evidence

Farmers, and many who are wrongly and horribly blamed for the emissions occupying our world, should feel a glow of satisfaction by the studies carried out by Eurocontrol, the body which studies air travel across Europe.

Earlier last week flights were down by 90%, whilst in Ireland flights were 92%down, including overflights.

In the immediate wake of the 9/11 attack in the US, all non military travel was banned for a number of days. Scientists in Wisconsin found that the cirrus cloud created by the vapor from jet engines of military planes only, travelling across otherwise empty skies.

Ronan Fealy who lectures on climate science in Maynooth University says : “They found that the contrails associated with just six military aircraft were able to fan out to cover a region of 7,500 square miles. These can impact for several hours after they have been formed” - Irish Times.

Not to bamboozle the reader too much, this means that the world - as created - is more than able to disperse any damage to the climate once left undisturbed.

If we didn’t produce such vast amounts of plastic - an alien substance in earthly terms - and if we hadn’t become so madly focused on extraordinary amounts of air travel, the world wouldn’t be suffering from such an incredible threat as it stands.

Now is the time politicians need to buckle down and look at the hard evidence staring us all in the face. Forget about cows, and farming, and petty stuff like that.

Instead, address the real threat that is coming from plastics, and air travel, trucks, and lorries.

Travelling by air is far too cheap, as it stands. It’s amazing how lobbyists control the mood of manufacturers.

I had a 2.7 litre car, diesel, which did around 35 to the gallon.

Now I own a 2.5 litre which does around 53 mpg. Strange, that.