Tweet
Gov't, Opposition chastised for failure to address environmental issuesBY PETRE WILLIAMS Sunday Observer senior reporter williamsp@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, July 29, 2007
WITH general elections only a few weeks away, politicians have come in for sharp criticism from environmental lobbyists over their failure to include, as part of their campaign activities, issues dealing with the environment.
"It (the environment) has not been brought to the forefront (of campaign activities) and I would have hoped that a lot more attention would have been given since at this point the environment and environmental issues are the centre point of development opportunities and activities worldwide," Hugh Dixon, executive director of the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA), told the Sunday Observer.
"It is an issue of critical importance that is not on the development agenda. And therefore, it would be across the board an indictment on the level of vision and strategic planning and development as being put to the electorate for consideration."
Peter Espeut, executive director for the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (CCAM) Foundation, expressed a similar view.
"Neither party has released a manifesto so we don't really know what their intention is for the future. In other words, if we were to have to choose between the PNP and JLP on environmental grounds, we would have no basis to choose one or either side," Espeut said.
Beyond that, he said the current administration had failed to honour commitments made with the local environmental groups.
"There are agreements between the government and the environmental community that are not being respected. Some of us have contracts. The government has so committed itself to a certain programme of action, which is contained in certain policy documents and they are not implementing the policies," Espeut said.
"And of course there is enforcement. There is legislation in place, which is not being enforced, and legislation to be put in place, for example the Portland Byte Protected Area Act, that is not in place," he added.
Diana McCaulay, CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), said she too was dissatisfied with both the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party (PNP). McCaulay noted that both parties had failed to address environmental issues in any significant way. And a part of the problem, she said, was the Jamaican people.
"I'm not sure that the people of Jamaica are really concerned about environmental issues. I think crime and employment have been the issues that dominate national discourse," she said, adding that environmental groups could not themselves escape some responsibility for this.
"So in a way the politicians are responding to the concerns of people," she said, noting that this did not preclude government from having a vision.
"That is not to say some leadership is not required, and that is what had been completely absent, certainly from this administration," the JET boss chided.
Dixon also said that politicians were clearly responding to what appear to be majority concerns.
"We (STEA) are an environmental agency that has been doing development work, and unfortunately our work does not coincide with the agenda of politicians at all. And not that you are trying to be partisan in any way, but you would think that the issues that you are addressing would crave their attention because they are development issues," he said.
"I think that maybe I have to make the blame both ways - the population at large is maybe not being brought to a consciousness about these issues, and I suppose if it is not as popular as dancehall, doesn't have a large audience then it will be ignored. Politicians like a large audience to capture the vote," he added.
Espeut agreed with Dixon.
"Nobody says (anything about the environment) so the government takes their signal from that. The JLP spokesman on the environment has said nothing and the present minister of environment speaks only when it is a local government matter. So the environment is Cinderella for both parties," he told the Sunday Observer.
"But you expect those who stand in a loftier place to take a broader view and to see that there are important environmental issues. It would seem they don't. It would seem that the government - both parties, really - do not have the environment on their radar."
Barrington Nesbeth, chairman of the World African Re-unification Association, for his part, said people should withhold their votes until and unless the parties addressed two critical issues - the environment and police corruption.
"I don't remember the last time a politician came out and talked about global warming, while the rest of the world is jumping around trying to figure out how to reduce carbon emissions and plant more trees and all of that," Nesbeth said. "No one thinks about the environment and at the end of the day, the environment is everybody's business. If they don't deal with it now, they will have to deal with it later. It should be on the agenda for politicians."
The lobbyists have, meanwhile, identified a range of issues as requiring the immediate attention of the party that assumes power post-August 27, when the nation goes to the polls. These include strengthening existing regulatory frameworks and the enforcement of environmental laws.
"We have an entirely dysfunctional regulatory framework. Projects that should have speedy approval are subject to lengthy delays. Projects that should be approached in a careful way, those are the ones that are rushed through. And enforcement and monitoring are completely inadequate," noted McCaulay.
Keisha Spencer, acting executive director of the Negril Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT), said zoning for development also needs to be examined.
"The way in which development takes place in a particular area, they need to ensure the proper routes and channels are adhered to, and to also give support to the varied environmental organisations, particularly those in the tourist areas since they are likely to be impacted greatly," she said.
"Whatever system is put in place must be able to weed unsustainable projects out of the mix. So that the only thing we do in Jamaica is sustainable development," added Espeut.
Dixon pointed to the need for a tourism sector driven by environmental considerations in order to facilitate sustainability and growth over the long term.
"There has to be some steps taken to look at how we are expanding the opportunity sectors like tourism, and therefore questions of how we are developing our beach front and the kinds of regulations that are crucial to how we attract investments to our tourism sector would be paramount," he told the Sunday Observer.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
WITH general elections only a few weeks away, politicians have come in for sharp criticism from environmental lobbyists over their failure to include, as part of their campaign activities, issues dealing with the environment.
"It (the environment) has not been brought to the forefront (of campaign activities) and I would have hoped that a lot more attention would have been given since at this point the environment and environmental issues are the centre point of development opportunities and activities worldwide," Hugh Dixon, executive director of the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA), told the Sunday Observer.
"It is an issue of critical importance that is not on the development agenda. And therefore, it would be across the board an indictment on the level of vision and strategic planning and development as being put to the electorate for consideration."
Peter Espeut, executive director for the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (CCAM) Foundation, expressed a similar view.
"Neither party has released a manifesto so we don't really know what their intention is for the future. In other words, if we were to have to choose between the PNP and JLP on environmental grounds, we would have no basis to choose one or either side," Espeut said.
Beyond that, he said the current administration had failed to honour commitments made with the local environmental groups.
"There are agreements between the government and the environmental community that are not being respected. Some of us have contracts. The government has so committed itself to a certain programme of action, which is contained in certain policy documents and they are not implementing the policies," Espeut said.
"And of course there is enforcement. There is legislation in place, which is not being enforced, and legislation to be put in place, for example the Portland Byte Protected Area Act, that is not in place," he added.
Diana McCaulay, CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), said she too was dissatisfied with both the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party (PNP). McCaulay noted that both parties had failed to address environmental issues in any significant way. And a part of the problem, she said, was the Jamaican people.
"I'm not sure that the people of Jamaica are really concerned about environmental issues. I think crime and employment have been the issues that dominate national discourse," she said, adding that environmental groups could not themselves escape some responsibility for this.
"So in a way the politicians are responding to the concerns of people," she said, noting that this did not preclude government from having a vision.
"That is not to say some leadership is not required, and that is what had been completely absent, certainly from this administration," the JET boss chided.
Dixon also said that politicians were clearly responding to what appear to be majority concerns.
"We (STEA) are an environmental agency that has been doing development work, and unfortunately our work does not coincide with the agenda of politicians at all. And not that you are trying to be partisan in any way, but you would think that the issues that you are addressing would crave their attention because they are development issues," he said.
"I think that maybe I have to make the blame both ways - the population at large is maybe not being brought to a consciousness about these issues, and I suppose if it is not as popular as dancehall, doesn't have a large audience then it will be ignored. Politicians like a large audience to capture the vote," he added.
Espeut agreed with Dixon.
"Nobody says (anything about the environment) so the government takes their signal from that. The JLP spokesman on the environment has said nothing and the present minister of environment speaks only when it is a local government matter. So the environment is Cinderella for both parties," he told the Sunday Observer.
"But you expect those who stand in a loftier place to take a broader view and to see that there are important environmental issues. It would seem they don't. It would seem that the government - both parties, really - do not have the environment on their radar."
Barrington Nesbeth, chairman of the World African Re-unification Association, for his part, said people should withhold their votes until and unless the parties addressed two critical issues - the environment and police corruption.
"I don't remember the last time a politician came out and talked about global warming, while the rest of the world is jumping around trying to figure out how to reduce carbon emissions and plant more trees and all of that," Nesbeth said. "No one thinks about the environment and at the end of the day, the environment is everybody's business. If they don't deal with it now, they will have to deal with it later. It should be on the agenda for politicians."
The lobbyists have, meanwhile, identified a range of issues as requiring the immediate attention of the party that assumes power post-August 27, when the nation goes to the polls. These include strengthening existing regulatory frameworks and the enforcement of environmental laws.
"We have an entirely dysfunctional regulatory framework. Projects that should have speedy approval are subject to lengthy delays. Projects that should be approached in a careful way, those are the ones that are rushed through. And enforcement and monitoring are completely inadequate," noted McCaulay.
Keisha Spencer, acting executive director of the Negril Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT), said zoning for development also needs to be examined.
"The way in which development takes place in a particular area, they need to ensure the proper routes and channels are adhered to, and to also give support to the varied environmental organisations, particularly those in the tourist areas since they are likely to be impacted greatly," she said.
"Whatever system is put in place must be able to weed unsustainable projects out of the mix. So that the only thing we do in Jamaica is sustainable development," added Espeut.
Dixon pointed to the need for a tourism sector driven by environmental considerations in order to facilitate sustainability and growth over the long term.
"There has to be some steps taken to look at how we are expanding the opportunity sectors like tourism, and therefore questions of how we are developing our beach front and the kinds of regulations that are crucial to how we attract investments to our tourism sector would be paramount," he told the Sunday Observer.