Aviation is responsible for a small fraction of greenhouse gas emissions. Photo / 123rf
Dirt bike hoons need to face consequences
The editorial “No place for hoons in our communities” (July 15) about the scourge of dirt bike riders’ illegal activities states: “It’s easy to feel sorry for the people impacted. It affects neighbouring households, people walking their dogs, and children playing sports. It affects their peace, sense of community and feeling of security.”
While acknowledging police send messages to these hoons denouncing their self-indulgent carry on, nothing will change until consequences for the illegal activities are put in place, and actually carried out.
Rotorua police are planning a crackdown on the illegal riders and are asking for the public’s help. And, acting Rotorua area commander Inspector Phil Gillbanks has asked dirt bike riders to “consider the impact on others in the community”.
I’d suggest there’s no chance of that happening. The buzz they’re getting from causing damage and upsetting people is what keeps them going, and surpasses anything else.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Compo conundrum
An article about suggestions of compensation for store owners who had installed ATMs that were capable of cryptocurrency dealing (July 15) quoted Labour MP Duncan Webb as saying: “I’m gobsmacked that in a cost-of-living crisis they are considering compensating crypto traders.”
This is another classic example of an unconsidered knee-jerk reaction to the Regulatory Standards Bill. It’s not the crypto traders that the compensation is being considered for. It’s small dairy or petrol station owners who have forked out extra money to buy cryptocurrency-enabled ATMs to offer better service to their customers.
Should they have foreseen the use of their machines by criminals and therefore the need for a law change? Are they guilty of crypto trading (which in itself is not illegal) by association?
Compensation should at least be considered.
Chris Chrystall, Epsom.
Leaders need to act
The obliteration of Gaza tests our willingness to be complicit. At what point will our elected leaders say, “Stop!” – and take action?
Ordinary civilian life has been smashed.
Hospitals, houses, schools: deliberately targeted.
Journalists, medical staff, aid workers: deliberately killed.
The civilian population: bombed out, ordered to flee, and then to flee again. Then starved. Then gunned down when desperately seeking food.
Please, would our Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stand up.
Anne Priestley, Remuera.
Up in the air
There has been comment in various columns recently about the greenhouse gas emissions by the airline industry.
It is informative to go to https://www.flightradar24.com/, a real-time tracking system that shows the position of every aircraft presently in the air. The only exceptions are military aircraft that wish to remain anonymous.
At any one time, there are thousands of aircraft in flight. All those aeroplanes delivering all those passengers and freight every day of the year produce just 2.8% of world greenhouse emissions.
Even a massive decrease in flight miles would, therefore, have precious little effect on global warming. Think about that before you flight-shame someone.
David Morris, Hillsborough.
Reasons for social damage
Perhaps people could review their thoughts on Dame Jacinda Ardern’s alleged “social and economic damage” during her tenure as our Prime Minister, versus the current coalition’s.
Ardern wasn’t responsible for social damage, Covid was. Any less stringent an approach to trying to keep it at bay would have been disastrous.
As for the economic damage, this Government has borrowed more, defunded more, reduced access to healthcare, affordable housing, education and employment. These count more as “social damage” as they have been introduced under no valid circumstances that demand them.
Blaming the previous Government for anything social or economic, after nearly two years of the current Government being in power, no longer carries any weight or truth.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Power for the people
For some time now, there has been much discussion about the integrity and cost of our power network in New Zealand.
It is a matter of concern that power prices continue to rise with no action of consequence from successive Governments.
In fact, our power system has been affected by retrograde action. Our gas generation is about to dry up.
Our coal mining has all but ceased, with expensive imports of coal from overseas, and no further geothermal or hydro stations are planned.
What I do not understand is why our Governments do not seem to have strongly supported the domestic installation of solar panels, which is standard in so many other countries, including Australia and in Europe. Even wind farms would make a difference.
The message we get is that privatisation of part of our basic infrastructure was a mistake. Is it too much to ask that our major parties agree on an appropriate way forward to secure the future of our power generation that is affordable to all?
Bruce Owen, Drury.