Today’s letters: At least young people realize how important trees are

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It was encouraging to read in this letter to the editor that young people continue to be concerned about the environment. It seems that if the planet is going to be saved, it will be up to the likes of nine-year-old Isla McClelland and seven-year-old Janey Muggleton to get the job done.

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Sadly it doesn’t appear that adults are getting the message as they continue to kick the can down the road and rationalize that the problem is somebody else’s.

Recently, the Ottawa International Airport Authority razed 10 acres of red pine forest off Hunt Club Road for the purpose of generating revenue. The fact that the forest provided a carbon sink for the tons of CO2 dumped by aircraft arriving and departing was not the OIAA’s problem. Let somebody else worry about the environment.

Sooner, and hopefully not later, we are all going to have to make sacrifices if we are going to save the planet.

Don Paice, Ottawa

We must respect our environment

As a retired environmental biologist, I totally agree with Isla McClelland (9) and Janey Muggleton (7) that “cutting down trees hurts the environment.” I have a feeling that Isla and Janey show more responsibility and maturity than many of our local municipal and provincial politicians.

I applaud them for bringing up the fragility of our environment. I agree with them that we should have less construction and urban expansion.   We need more nature reserves, such as “Nature 2000,” established by the European Union in 2000.

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Since I am quite a bit older than these two letter-writers, I still remember the massive urban development that took place back in early 2000 when the City of Ottawa expanded into Orléans, destroying many natural habitats for deer, rabbits and foxes. These poor dislocated animals were roaming many farm fields south of the city looking for food and consequently damaging many soybean crops.

If we continue to construct houses and destroy valuable agricultural farmland, we will become more dependent on imported food — with all the health consequences that go with it.

Thanks to these two writers for addressing this subject.

William J. Langenberg, M.Sc. Env. Biol., Merrickville

City worker deserves thanks

I wish to commend a City of Ottawa employee who helped an older lady recently.

The snow-clearing crew had just dumped a significant load of snow at the end of her driveway. She was trying to dig her way out. The gentleman was driving by in a City of Ottawa truck, and noticed her problem. He parked his truck, cleared her driveway, then halted the truck traffic until she was safely on her way. Well done.

Kathleen McConkey, Barrhaven

Get high-speed rail on track now

Re: To fight climate change, move people from highways and planes to high-speed trains, Jan. 15.

I totally agree with this article by David Landry. Our young people need us to be proactive. They need us to take this step now into the future, and to act now to build high-speed rail.

Susan Chapman, Stittsville

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