Today is Earth Day, a time to pause and think about the environment and the impact that we are having on our ecosystem. Because of its natural beauty and hospitable climate, the thought of changing some time-tested practices are the last things that some Jamaicans would consider. But John Maxwell in The Jamaica Observer (4/20/2008) issues some dire warnings:
We need to embark on a programme of sustainable development in which the people make the decisions, or at least have the major say in the making of the decisions about what is going to happen to their country.
. We need to plan about how we are going to protect the enormous areas of land and the huge numbers of people at risk from global warming, sea-level rise and saline intrusion.
. We need to build dikes to protect Portmore and other large population centres from storm surge and later, sea level rise. If we are wise and humane, these projects will employ a large number of people instead of bulldozers and put money where it is needed, into the base of the society
John Maxwell has proven time and time again to be prescient about many of the problems we now face. Let's hope his warnings are heeded, and we will have a change in consciousness to realize that we are the eyes, ears, mouth...of our islands and the larger one in an ocean of blue.
1Love
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1 comment:
happy earth day.
yep entire caribbean needs to change its thinking about the environment
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