Here’s my latest selection of ten interesting articles. I hope you find something to explore here. I have included links (some are embedded, just click on the word/s). Feedback is welcome!
Jamaica and the Caribbean:
The International Seabed Authority, which regulates deep seabed mining, is currently holding its 22nd session at its Kingston headquarters, and is making an effort to go paper-free through the United Nations’ PaperSmart initiative, reducing its carbon footprint and improving efficiency. You can read more about the ISA’s activities here. I attended the ISA’s 20th Anniversary sessions in Kingston two years ago. I spent my time with representatives of Greenpeace and other environmental NGOs, who were observers. I wrote about it here: http://gleanerblogs.com/socialimpact/?p=2157 The Asia-Pacific Group were especially vocal in their concerns for Small Island Developing States during that session.
Mosquito fogging…the negatives: Two evenings ago, after a shower of rain, the fogging machine came trundling down our street. The chemical smell was overpowering and I was coughing for at least two hours afterwards. At last someone has written about the harmful effects of fogging on human health…let alone the environment. According to this article, “Malathion breaks down in warm climates rapidly into a chemical 40 times more toxic, that may weaken the immune system against cancers and even the viruses we are trying to prevent.” What effect does it have on the environment? According to the U.S. National Pesticide Information Center, “Malathion is highly toxic to bees and other beneficial insects, some fish, and other aquatic life. Malathion is moderately toxic to other fish and birds, and is considered low in toxicity to mammals.” No wonder I see so few bees in our yard, these days.
Sandals Royal Caribbean has submitted a request to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) for the construction of overwater suites in Montego Bay. In fact, Sandals has been advertising for several months and plans to open the resort on November 16. It is already taking bookings, according to Caribbean Journal. Nevertheless, public consultations and “sensitization” has not yet taken place. If you would like to learn more (and I think we should learn more) I encourage you to attend the public meeting on Wednesday, August 3 at the University of the West Indies Western Campus, Queens Drive in Montego Bay, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Please see a copy of the notice and contact information, here.
Jamaica Environment Trust is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a series of fundraising events this month. On Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 10 am there will be a special round robin yoga class at Strawberry Hill, taught by Subhadra Bowman, Donovan Manning, Sienna Creasy and Malika Omawale. There will also be live music by Jason Warton. Stay after the class and enjoy a special Summer Flight wine tasting sponsored by CPJ Ltd. Cost J$2,500. All proceeds from the class will be donated to JET.
Haiti’s South Department aims to go green: This week a Study on the agricultural sector and the greening of the economy in the South Department was launched by the Government of Haiti and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Simon Dieuseul Desras, Minister of the Environment, said Haiti is hoping for a “green revolution” for the region. The study is funded by the European Union with the support of Norway. Five sectors were selected with the potential to contribute to the development of a green economy in the South of Haiti: honey, cocoa, cashew nuts, castor oil and mango. Read more about the project here: http://web.unep.org/greeneconomy/news/south-department-agriculture-report-validated-haiti
World
Apathy to our Overfished Oceans: This is a seriously thought-provoking article by Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes. Why do we not care about the drastic reduction in marine life in our seas? We care about land animals much more. “There are fewer than 3% of blue-fin tuna left in the oceans,” says the writer. Let’s think about that when we eat sushi! As for me, I am eating less and less seafood; especially bearing in mind that, according to the UN Environment Program (UNEP), 30 per cent of fish now have plastic in them (not to mention various chemicals). You could also take a look at a book written some years ago and recently revised, referred to in this article: The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World and What We Eat by Charles Clover.
Green mountain grows out of Singapore’s concrete jungle: Singapore is very short on space and long on concrete. So how to make it greener? The Marina One high-rise development, to be completed by 2017, has green areas on multiple levels, fitting the urban developers’ vision of “A City in a Garden.” Read more here: http://www.gizmag.com/ingenhoven-architects-marina-one-singapore/44301/
Good news! The ozone layer is beginning to heal! Remember that huge hole we were all worried about? According to scientists at MIT and elsewhere, it has healed quite considerably over the last 15 years. This is at least partly due to the phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in fridges and aerosols, since the international treaty called the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987. Yes, global action does work! Read more here: http://www.unep.org/stories/Climate/Ozone-Layer-Begins-to-Heal.asp
OK, some not-so-good news: Climate change – the warming of the ocean – may be the cause of a massive die-off of mangroves in Queensland, Australia, scientists say. Australia is home to seven per cent of the world’s mangroves, which absorb fifty times more carbon than tropical forests by area and act like “nature’s kidney”, according to Professor Norm Duke of James Cook University. Read more here.
UNESCO lists Iraqi wetlands as World Heritage Site: The Ahwar of Southern Iraq – also known as the Iraqi Marshlands – are among eight new UNESCO World Heritage Sites inscribed on its list. The marshes are unique, as one of the world’s largest inland delta systems, in an extremely hot and arid environment. They also include the sites of ancient Mesopotamian cities such as Ur and Uruk – civilizations that flourished because of the availability of water. The other seven new World Heritage Sites include a coral reef structure in the Red Sea, an archipelago in Mexico and an amazing fossil site in Canada. Read more here: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1529
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