Letters to the Editor

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Climate change and sandmining
Apart from the obvious reason of sea level rise, one of the predicted effects of climate change, that there should be no sand mining close inshore along the coast at Te Arai and Pakiri, there is yet another reason as sand is one of the basic ingredients of concrete. However, concrete is also made with cement, one of the most carbon intensive of manufacturing processes.

I was under the impression that we were supposed to be taking active measures to reduce the adverse effects of climate change, to reduce our carbon footprint. In that case should we not be reducing the use of concrete in our construction work and therefore the use of cement and sand?

Surely there is no way the Auckland City Council should be granting consent for sand mining along our coast not only because of the threat of increased coastal erosion, but because such activity will contribute to increasing the country’s carbon footprint?

When is local government going to wake up to the fact that climate change is not going to go away so it cannot be a case of business as usual? This is neither the time nor place to undertake sand extraction in the neighbouring Auckland coastal region.

PS. I was relieved to discover there will be no appeal against the wharf decision.

Margaret Hicks
Ruakaka

 

TWO DUMPS

Leachate – tips

And negligent poli-tics

Dump meisters

Spreadsheets – shadowy sheisters

What's the difference;

Specifications, corrupted reference

At its worst

Seams stretched – conditions right

Will burst

The voice for the valley impeded; “Save the Dome”, God

forbid she ever bleeds

Super City supersedes

Leave her be, the people cry

As the other proceed with reckless haste to desecrate and to

one and all decry.

 

Edith Johnston
Wellsford

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