Sir, – Your editorial "Carbon taxes: waking up to the threat" (February 12th) used a photograph of the mass "die-in" action that took place in Dublin city centre on Sunday. The caption under the image states that the action was about "urging the Government to take urgent action to prevent climate breakdown". There was no further reference to the action in the editorial.
The “die-in” was organised by a 13-group coalition opposed to the proposed development of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Shannon Estuary.
This major infrastructure project is intended to import and process shale gas extracted through fracking for European energy needs. The proposed Shannon LNG terminal will be funded (at least in part) by taxpayers and will lock us into an unsustainable, fossil-fuelled energy system for the foreseeable future. The failure to describe accurately the campaign and concerns that led to the action on Sunday reflects more than a simple case of misrepresentation. It is a failure to distinguish between strategic Irish and European development policies that drive the extraction, distribution and consumption of fossil fuels, and economic instruments designed to modify behaviour. Climate action means many things, and should take many forms, but too often we lose sight of the bigger picture. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK BRESNIHAN,
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Department of Geography,
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2.