By Clarence E Pilgrim
Environmentalist throughout the Caribbean can appreciate the natural splendour and quality of diversity in a number of reserved areas such as the Montreal Gardens in St Vincent, The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens in St Lucia, the Carib Cultural village in the east coast of Dominica, Curacao's diverse underwater fish and coral species, the lush vegetation along Antigua's Fig Tree Drive and Belize's Five Blues Lake National Park, are just a few of the many natural treasures within the Caribbean Community that have a cost to maintain and preserve.
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| Clarence E Pilgrim |
But with the rise of developmental national priorities, seemingly protected areas are having their status challenged as the wheels of mechanised progress seek to encroach on the natural spaces reserved for "greenery" and "biodiversity". It is a situation where development without boundaries, is becoming a pessimistic reality. Emancipation from unrelenting pressures to alter the state of the environment into an undesirable condition is needed to address and correct what is undoubtedly an undesirable social and economic path for the long term.
It is the duty of the relevant national authorities to let its citizens know and understand the good as well as the not so good, associated with state-sponsored projects.
There is one area which I would like to focus on since it presents a challenge and is something that we see and are responsible for on a regular basis. We have all had our share in both creating and disposing of that stuff we define as garbage. This is indeed a unique and technical area which is often not understood or does not receive the significance it deserves!
With the myriad of products used on a daily basis, disposing of waste materials safely and in a timely manner is indeed a never-ending task!
There are very good national waste reduction plans in a number of Caribbean lands, but there is the need to establish a common denominator with respect to a regional solution.
Bulk waste going to landfills will obviously be limited by space in time. What is needed is an aggressive campaign and investment to encourage recycling of suitable materials and the composting of organic waste.
Recycling will prevent the waste of potentially useful materials. It involves the reprocessing of materials into new products. This helps to reduce the consumption of raw materials and a reduction of the usage of energy in the overall process. Recyclable materials include iron, glass, textiles, paper, aluminum, plastics, iron, etc.
A composting system provides a healthy environment and nutrition for bacteria to work. Industrial composting or anaerobic digestion can help prevent global warming by treatment of biodegradable waste before it enters a landfill. If this waste enters a landfill, it decomposes anaerobically, thus producing landfill gas that contains methane, which is a greenhouse gas.
Any investment in these areas will quite clearly lead to an excellent direction in coming to grips with the realities of the protection of the state of health of the population in any developing society as will as the state of health of the natural environment.
The waste management approach should be based on the concept of Reducing, Reusing, Recycling and Re-thinking. It is important that in the application of any waste management strategy that everyone is able to derive in a practical way, the optimum benefits from a product, with the least possible waste output.
One of the most critical environmental challenges facing the world today is reducing long-term growth in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fossil fuels has contributed to an increase in GHGs—mainly carbon dioxide and methane—in the earth's atmosphere. This is believed to be a significant factor in climate change. The adverse effects can be counted among the hurricanes, flooding, droughts, etc. It is therefore important for the Caribbean Community to bring its resources, expertise and finances together, in a combined effort to develop and implement an effective and practical strategy which incorporates the strengths and weaknesses of each jurisdiction. From governments to private individuals have a responsibility to make this work!
So, next time you pass your neighborhood garbage collector at work, take a brief moment to ask yourself this question - what am I doing to make my garbage work for me and my society?
Clarence E Pilgrim, is an enviromentalist, advocate for human rights, educator, a senior officer in the Antigua & Barbuda Civil service and volunteer for various non-profit organisations. His pen and speeches are consistent platforms for Caribbean integration, social policy issues, enviornmental protection, development of alternative energy and the careful management of our natural resources. |
