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ENVIRONMENT
: THE FUTURE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN REGION IS THREATENED
By: Nicole Siméon, Panos Institute
Port-au-Prince, 14 February 2003 (Panos). The
Latin American and Caribbean region faces two great challenges:
climate change and sea level rise. This is the point of view of
several ministers and environmental specialists who met from 3 to
7 February 2003 in Nairobi, Kenya within the context of the 22nd
ministerial forum.
If in fact these two environmental problems are the general object
of worldwide concern, the region, because of its geographic situation
and economy - essentially based on agriculture and tourism - is
in the short term threatened by them.
"According to statistics on climate change, presented by the
inter-governmental panel in 2002, small islands, and not only those
of the region, are the most vulnerable," Professor Al Binger
says, Director of the Centre for Environment and Development of
the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.
Professor Binger tells that these imminent dangers are characterized
by a decrease in the amount of rain, which causes an impoverishment
of the soil, with disastrous consequences on agriculture. This includes
periods of drought and a rise in temperature to a level which assists
the forming of hurricanes at a higher and higher rate.
Ms. Diann Black-Layne, representative of Antigua and Barbuda tells
that "from 1950 to 1986, there was only one hurricane in the
region, whereas from 1989 to the year 2000, we have known at least
seven." This gives an idea of the growing problem.
The problem is serious and the challenges even more, according
to various representatives at the forum. They recognize that if
their governments and their peoples cannot fight against natural
disasters, at least they can change their way of life and their
managing of environmental issues. Natural disasters have double
effects: to destroy the works already done and to impoverish the
economic system by the use of financial resources, which should
be devoted to development, for reconstruction, Ms. Black-Layne points
out.
In order to minimize the impacts on the environment and the economy,
the region must face certain problems such as, among others, beach
pollution, the management of coastal zones, the erosion of watersheds
and flooding which in turn increase pollution and the amount of
sediments. Coral reefs and mangroves are stifled, Professor Binger
says.
"And when there are no coral reefs left to avert the force
of the waters, the coasts will be hit. Well, in these islands, the
economy is essentially based on the coastal zones, fundamental to
the development of tourism," Professor Binger explains.
"The coral reef cover in the Bahamas is the second largest
in the world, after Australia. And we have the same problems as
other islands, so we need to protect ourselves," the Minister
of Health and Environment of this country, Dr. Marcus C. Bethel,
informs. He also says that it would be interesting to develop partnerships
with the other countries.
Education and public awareness are very important for the entire
region and we must also strengthen institutional capacities, Dr.
Bethel says. The Jamaican Vice-Minister of the Environment, Mr.
Learie Miller, says that "a concerted action enables us to
benefit from the experiences of others and not to try to reinvent
the wheel."
A new policy is imperative
Some countries, such as the Bahamas, have started to experiment
with the introduction of legislation to protect marine fauna, Dr.
Bethel tells. Other countries, such as Antigua and Barbuda, also
reflect on ways to reduce the damage.
For the moment however, "it is necessary to put forward a
new management of household and industrial waste, a better water
management, more irrigation and more response to the needs of households
and industries. We must be more efficient in the future than we
were in the past," Mr. Binger states.
"For the economy in general, we must take a close look at
the way in which we manage the tourist trade. Tourism must be developed
in the interiors of islands rather than just on the coasts. We must
reduce the dependency on petroleum imports and develop renewable
energy resources (rain, wind, sun, ocean) which are more readily
available," he proposes, while he admits that "this will
be very difficult, because adapting to a new regime will be very
expensive. But it is not impossible".
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