Offaly climate crisis campaigner hits out at school's Tractor Run fundraiser

OFFALY environmental campaigner Tom Roche has hit out at a tractor run which took place in Tullamore on bank holiday Monday.

The tractor run was a Tullamore College Parents' Council fundraiser and it attracted many tractors and trucks at €25 each.

In an open letter to Tullamore College Parents' Council and the school's board of management, Mr Roche asked why there would be support for a tractor run which he said is detrimental to the climate and local air quality.

Mr Roche, a native of Tullamore who lives in Rhode, said by hosting a tractor run Tullamore College had “decided to ignore and turn a blind eye to the ominous warnings and objective scientific reports, in our local and national media of late regarding the climate emergency and related biodiversity crisis and public health matters”.

Mr Roche referred to the Tullamore College mission statement: 'Tullamore College works to create a secure, caring environment based on respect. Here, self-belief and a love of learning lead to the achievement of excellence.'

He said: “From my perspective, instead of being a guiding force ‘to create a secure, caring environment…’, Tullamore College has let their students down. They have not yet grasped the significance and urgency of the crises we face. Instead, Tullamore College have decided its okay to join the ranks of climate deniers and organise a tractor run. For an education institution like Tullamore College to do so at a time of climate and biodiversity crises, is, in my opinion, irresponsible and extremely worrisome.”

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Mr Roche has publicly condemned tractor runs previously and has suggested that if they must take place, electric vehicles could be used.

He said he thinks the runs are objectionable because “they are driven by people who do not accept and acknowledge that the burning of fossil fuels in combustion engines is a significant cause of global warming”.

Mr Roche's open letter continued: “Secondly, the extraction of fossil fuels to drive combustion engines is a driving force in rainforest destruction, water pollution, human rights violations and the decline in biological diversity worldwide.

“Thirdly, the burning of fossil fuels in combustion engines is ‘carcinogenic’ to humans and thereby a public health issue. The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that ambient (outdoor) air pollution is most closely associated with increased cancer incidence, especially lung cancer. An association also has been observed between outdoor air pollution and increase in cancer of the urinary tract/bladder.”

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The campaigner went on: “I am sure you will agree that quality education opens and liberates the intellect. It unlocks the imagination and is fundamental for self-respect. Education is the key to prosperity and opens a world of opportunities, making it possible for each of us to contribute to a progressive, healthy society. Learning benefits every human being. And, after all, isn’t that what any parent would want for their children? Your role therefore, is to assist the academic staff of Tullamore College to educate and prepare the students to achieve the necessary personal and practical skills to live rewarding, fruitful healthy lives. This can only be achieved by taking the current climate and biodiversity crises seriously and by actively placing it at the centre of all learning carried out at Tullamore College. By doing so you will be helping students to solve problems and come up with imaginative solutions that will ensure a bountiful and liveable planet for their future.”

He recalled Ireland's adoption (along with all 193 UN member states) in 2015 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Transforming our World) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said one of those goals “clearly states that your role is to ensure that all students in Tullamore College ‘acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. This includes, among others, through education for sustainable development (ESD) leading to sustainable lifestyles, respect for human rights and gender equality.’”

The same SDG “promotes a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development”.

His letter also referred to the emergence of “eco-anxiety” and a study of 10,000 young people across the world which found that 75% of people ages 18 to 25 think the future is frightening.

He quoted study author Britt Wray telling Smithsonian Magazine: “It’s not a pathology. It’s not a mental health disorder. It’s a sign that you care and are attached to what’s going on in the world.”

An activist for more than 30 years and the founder of Just Forests in 1989, Mr Roche said he has developed a set of “Twelve Steps To Positive Adult Activism” which can be accessed or downloaded from https://rememberrio.com/

“The challenge for Tullamore College now is to become the first college in Ireland to formally adopt an action plan/policy that will place you as leaders of quality education for sustainable development going forward,” said Mr Roche.

“Dealing with the challenges of climate action and associated issues can be daunting. Before we can build a better world we must acknowledge and accept where we are at this present moment. We must then imagine what a better world can be like. I will gladly help in the formulation of such an action plan/policy upon request.”

He concluded his open letter with a quotation from the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres: “Half of humanity is in the danger zone, from floods, droughts, extreme storms and wildfires. No nation is immune. Yet we continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction. We have a choice. Collective action or collective suicide. It is in our hands”.