Pedro Santiago's Letter

Dear UK citizens and fellow Britons,

Climate change is a threat that affects us all and especially our children and future generations.

Although government can set the policies needed to ameliorate the situation, we must collectively contribute.

I am asking you to please stop leaving your motor engines on while waiting for someone, reading or hanging out in your car. I see so much wasted energy every day by people parked and idling in the cars, burning precious fuel and emitting CO2 unnecessarily and wastefully.

Petroleum is a finite product which we heavily depend upon. Please do not waste it, stop idling you car and turn it off, even if you are stopping for a minute. In less than 80 years, humanity will have exhausted all the petroleum in the planet. Renewable energy can help, but thus far it has not been able to replace petroleum for many applications, especially air travel, lubricants, plastics and a myriad of products and applications.

Also think of the money you are needlessly wasting. Petrol and diesel prices have gone through the roof, why throw away your money, pollute our air and contribute to global warming?

Please don’t leave your motor idling. Government should put in place fines for idling. Such fines exist in the USA. In NYC fines run in the thousands of dollars if you are found parked and idling. The same policies should be adopted in the UK.

The bulk of our electricity supply is generated in gas-fired powered stations which also heavily contribute to global warming. Electric cars, although do not pollute at its source, pollute indirectly if the electricity is generated through combusting fossil fuels. Don’t be tricked to think electric vehicles are the solution, unless the electricity is generated from renewable sources such as wind and solar.

For our children please take action and stop idling your motor.

Pedro Erasmo Santiago Atencio
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.