Everywhere we looked and heard last week in newspapers, television and radio, we were warned about the dire consequences of global warming.
A report for the United Nations by 257 scientists insists it is 95 per cent certain that humankind is responsible for the ongoing destruction of the ozone layer by our emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, in particular the burning of fossil fuels.
It seemed every second boffin in Ireland joined in the chorus, everybody from environmental experts to university lecturers to meteorological scientist/forecasters at Met Eireann.
As an individual I try to be as ‘green’ as possible and have always been happy to take advice and instruction from people who are experts in subjects I know little about.
Why then am I so uneasy about the torrent of finger-wagging in our direction on this particular subject? It is because, methinks, they protest too much and there is no small measure of self-interest and a touch of bullying in their stance.
It’s not that I don’t believe them and I am also fully in favour of reducing pollution in all its forms. But there are billions of dollars/pounds/euro being pumped into research institutes each year and most of it would disappear if, per chance, they were found to be incorrect in their assumptions so there is a massive vested interest involved.