City living killing the countryside

SOME people who tend to get upset about the building of houses in rural areas often ignore the fact that the over-expansion of Dublin is a far more serious environmental problem for the country. Just sniff the air in the capital or observe traffic there and you quickly get the message.

Driving in the city is calculated to raise stress and carbon dioxide levels. The most polluting journeys are now being made by those living in the sprawling Dublin commuter belt, according to geography lecturer Dr Brendan O’Keeffe.

Unlike most other European countries, which have been spreading power to the regions, we are going in the opposite direction and creating an even bigger monster in over-stretched Dublin.