Climate crisis action
As if droughts, floods, fires, and food failures were not obvious enough, the UN has published a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (NZ Herald, March 2). The cherry atop a toxic cake.
Obfuscation, prevarication, election cycles, vested interests, and deliberate denial of the patently obvious,
have brought our planet to a more parlous state than world leaders are, even now, willing to admit.
What must we do?
Every idea, every plan, every policy, every action, from every Institution in our nation must run a climate ruler over every activity, at every stage.
Whatever target is measured, all activity must bring us closer to that target, tomorrow, than it was yesterday. If a measure is not materially improved, then, despite any short-term fall-out, such activity must not go ahead.
Of course, there will be short-term costs in today's dollars and in votes lost by incumbent leaders. If those considerations continue to hold back the accuracy of the climate ruler, we shall simply continue the insane nonsense of net polluters buying carbon credits from net emitters while the net result is, no improvement.
Nigel Meek, Raglan.
Over control
The Prime Minister believes we are all struggling because we are sick of Covid. Not quite right – we are struggling because we are sick of the Government's response to Covid. We're highly vaxxed and now have RATs so let people take personal responsibility for how they respond to the risks of catching Covid and dealing with it if they get it.
Open borders to all, no more traffic lights and mandates, masks should be optional for all except healthcare and border workers who would also need to be subject to regular testing, workplaces should have their own bespoke Covid policies as part of the usual workplace health and safety requirements.
Let's join these dots and get back to being the self-reliant Kiwis we are renowned for.
Kathleen Hon, Takapuna.
Money-go-round
Lesley Baillie (NZ Herald, March 1) is right on the money. What the people in government don't understand is simple economics:
Business equals employment. Both equal money going around and equal economic flow down. Both equal tax. Tax equals the ability to provide benefits for those that really need it. Money doesn't grow on trees, although Arden, Robertson, et all seem to think otherwise.
The flow-on effect from businesses having to close is huge. The potential devastation of travel, hospitability, real estate, retail, and all the flow on businesses could lead to unemployment not been seen since the 70s.
Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank is going to put all the nails in the coffin by using interest rates for all the wrong reasons. Interest rate increases will just add to the pain and make not one iota of difference to inflation without the root cause being dealt with.
Ross McCarthy, Glendowie.
Post-viral illnesses
Professor Harvey D White ( NZ Herald, February 28) projects a huge tsunami of long Covid. Unfortunately, this type of illness after a major viral/ bacterial infection already exists in New Zealand and indeed around the world. It's called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
Millions of sufferers have faced prejudice and stigma as many used to believe it was an illness borne from hysteria and mainly a "women's" problem. The long-lasting post-viral symptoms mimic those of long Covid. No difference.
Many ME sufferers have slipped through the net. Many have died. Many have been neglected due to medical negligence and disbelief of symptoms.
Sadly. I see the same path for long Covid unless the two illnesses are linked and folk stop trying to pretend that long Covid is a somehow "new" form of post-viral illness. It isn't. It is ME/CFS with subtle differences.
Please give ME/CFS the same research, respect, and recognition as long Covid. Both are debilitating, complex, multi-systemic illnesses with devasting consequences to a person's well-being if not dealt with correctly by the medical profession.
Sharon Jameson, Cambridge.
Undetected infections
Last week, Nick Leggett (NZ Herald, February 24) made the case for business "minding its own Covid response", based around self-testing. He mentions the Lucira test, which is apparently "prescription-only" in the US, where it was developed.
He stresses "fast and accurate" as the criteria for businesses to do their own testing.
Now we have RATs (rapid antigen tests) freely available. These are at best 78 per cent, and at worst, 53 per cent accurate.
Would he, as a CEO, be satisfied with a system, in his business, as "accurate" as that? I don't think so. But this is what he, and Sir Ian Taylor, have clamoured for. And what they've now got in fact, in Phase 3 and beyond.
At best, we'll now be "missing" 20 per cent of cases. At worst, 47 per cent. And all these cases will now be walking around amongst us, infected but undetected.
Clyde Scott, Birkenhead.
