‘Walkies’ had serious point

would like to reply to the letter.

If our march was the only effort we made to alert people to the climate crisis and the only action that we as individuals and members of various environmental organisations took, then the writer would have some justification for their remarks.

However, I know that the majority, if not all, of those who took part in the Earth March have been lobbying governments for many years (in some cases decades) about environmental matters and that we all support and participate in initiatives such as Pick It Up Guernsey and Plastic Free Guernsey. In fact Pick It Up took part in the march and provided us with litter pickers and buckets to use as we walked the route, resulting in a significant amount of litter being collected, particularly cigarette butts. Many of us support local environmental organisations such as La

Societe Guernesiaise, RSPB and the Pollinator Project to name a few, as well as national environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. As individuals we take part in beach cleans, attempt to re-wild our gardens for biodiversity, try to eat a more planet-friendly diet, whether it be vegetarian, vegan or eating less meat, reduce food waste and support local farmers and growers. We use public transport and cycle or walk whenever possible.

None of us lead an exemplary life (I know I don’t), and Extinction Rebellion is definitely not in the ‘blame game’ of shaming anyone for falling short of a carbon-neutral lifestyle that is virtually impossible to achieve in our imperfect world, where a car is virtually a necessity for many people and flying off-island to see friends and relatives or enjoying a relaxing holiday is a pleasurable norm. What we need is millions of people doing it imperfectly rather than a few doing it perfectly. If everyone made a few minor changes to their lifestyle it would help, but most of all we need governments to take the lead to help avert the climate crisis.

The purpose of Extinction Rebellion is to alert our politicians, decision makers, companies, media and citizens to the current ecological and climate emergency, and to show support to those who are trying to bring about changes to help achieve the lowering of carbon emissions to a sustainable level for the future of the planet and humanity. It is extremely hard for people, especially the less affluent members of our community, to exist without a car or replace fossil fuel heating with renewable energy alternatives such as solar or heat pumps. Our States must address these problems in future.

I end on a conciliatory note. I agree with the writer’s condemnation of greed, which is responsible for destroying much of our beautiful island for financial gain, and the need for more green spaces and for tree planting.

ANNE SANDWITH

St Martin’s.