Heating our homes: Crisis moves to our sitting room

The suggestion that almost 700,000 households will have to replace oil-fired central heating systems to help meet climate change commitments moves the climate debate from the theoretical into the sitting room.

This kind of save-our-world response would be very expensive but, tragically, not doing so may prove far more so.

Fines of up to €600m a year are anticipated from 2020 because of our delusional and dangerous failure to meet EU obligations to reduce carbon emissions.

These fines will be levied on all citizens and sectors, irrespective of how they contribute to the crisis.

The climatic consequences — more violent storms, more frequent flooding — may prove even more challenging.

This prospect is rooted in our refusal to accept that business-as-usual cannot continue and that we have to fundamentally change our ways.

Plans supported by Government and driven by the farm/food lobby to expand industrial farming and food processing epitomise this dangerous denial.

Despite acknowledging that carbon-based home heating on today’s scale is unsustainable, Government does not propose to immediately ban old style oil-fired heating in new homes.

Like many of us struggling with the annual God-make-me-good-but-just-not-yet quandary, the Government is prepared to kick the oil can down the road one more time.

Why are we still behaving as if we had a death wish?