Consider biofuel as petrol price rises

WHY doesn’t the Government use the spiralling petrol prices and growing public discontent to the environmental advantage of our country?

This crisis should be used to encourage the use of biofuel as an alternative energy source.

Think about all the issues that could be tackled by focusing on this: emissions are lowered, farmers happily diversify their outputs (thereby saving the increasingly rare phenomenon of the traditional Irish small farmer) and we easily reach the biofuel use targets set by the EU.

Many citizens will soon experience a financial windfall, in the form of SSIAs. Many will be looking to spend this on a new car, or on upgrading their old one. It is imperative that the Government aggressively advertises the long-term benefits (environmental and financial) of having (or converting to) a biofuel car.

Of course, this will cost the Government’s coffers as the revenue from the stealth taxes consumers are forced to pay every time they fill up will decrease. Here, the template of the smoking ban can be used: the short-term loss in taxes will be the long-term gain in environmental health savings.

Lizanne Hourihan

69 Beechwood Park

Ballinlough

Cork.