Environment Sammy Sceptical on CO2

It may appear that this week I'm deliberately out to get at the DUP, but I can assure readers that they just are the ones that are featuring in the stories that are sparking my blogging juices.

Way back in 1987 for the last month of my Lower Sixth year I had a supply teacher for my Economics A'Level course. In the recent reshuffle by the new Northern Irish First Minister Peter Robinson appointed him the new Minister for the Environment. Sadly back then, aged only 17, I didn't had the economic grounding and certainly not the environmental economics knowledge I later attained at Kingston to hold a debate with Sammy Wilson about such things. However, his comments upon taking up his new role do lead be to want to debate some points with him.

You see Sammy Wilson MP MLA is a CO2 sceptic when it comes to Climate Change. Ok he says it is not responsible for all climate change, yes there are other greenhouse gases which have an affect however he is denying that CO2 has as major an effect as it actually does have. He does not support green taxes to change behaviour as he see the effects in reducing CO2 as minimal, but every change causing a reduction is required, if you add up a lot of minimal changes you get significant change. Isn't that a basic principle in economics; economies of scale? He has been the sole voice of being more sceptical than most sceptics are even ignoring that Climate Change is occurring.

Well Sammy within 2 years of being in your class room I realised that Climate Change was occurring. Leading on from the grounding I had from you and others I realised that the eventual solution would have to be economic and political and have to cross national boundaries, because what we were fighting was not contained by human demarcation of divides. To have you in charge of DENI when many in Northern Ireland and the world are doing their bit to slow down, halt or reverse the affects of Climate Change is not the best scenario. The people of Northern Ireland deserve an Environment Minister who cares about all areas of the environment and I hope they continue to lobby you and educate you so that you see what environmental change can be wrought through your position of responsibility.