Tag: air pollution

Streets for Life: UN Global Road Safety Week kicks off with a plea for lower speeds

May 18, 2021

For People and Planet. The theme of the United Nations’ sixth Global Road Safety Week is #StreetsforLife. The week started today (May 17) and will continue until Sunday, May 23. The week also represents the launch of a new Decade of Action for Road Safety to achieve the Global Goals. Do watch the official launch … More Streets for Life: UN Global Road Safety Week kicks off with a plea for lower speeds

PM Holness, NEPA, KSAMC, NWA – Is Anyone Listening? Communities’ calls for Green, People-Friendly Urban Planning Go Unanswered

May 2, 2021

I wrote recently about the “uglification” of Kingston. While downtown Kingston is (thankfully) getting some of the attention it deserves, further uptown it’s a developer’s paradise, a free for all. This article from the Golden Triangle Neighbourhood Association – which represents everyone who lives, works, or does business in the area – points out that … More PM Holness, NEPA, KSAMC, NWA – Is Anyone Listening? Communities’ calls for Green, People-Friendly Urban Planning Go Unanswered

A Town Hall Meeting on Mining in the Cockpit Country: Let’s Have a Real Discussion Because It’s Not Over

December 20, 2020

The long-awaited public consultations on the Special Mining Lease 173 in Cockpit Country, held virtually on December 8, have been called many things over the past couple of weeks: Jamaica Environment Trust described the proceedings as a “sham.” I would say it made a mockery of what should have been a proper airing of the … More A Town Hall Meeting on Mining in the Cockpit Country: Let’s Have a Real Discussion Because It’s Not Over

Make Peace With Nature: a Ground-Breaking Speech by the UN Secretary-General

December 3, 2020

What has been said about the deteriorating state of our Planet that hasn’t been said before? Well, there have been many words spoken (and less action). Moreover, many of our governments around the world are not just doing nothing – we seem to be deliberately heading in the wrong direction. I am not really big … More Make Peace With Nature: a Ground-Breaking Speech by the UN Secretary-General

Under the Saharan Dust

June 23, 2020

We couldn’t see the mountains very well this afternoon, from Kingston. They faded into a creeping mist – the thick, concentrated dust from the West African coastline, which is expected to get thicker and deeper tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday. Our Meteorological Service explained that the “plume” of dust from the Saharan Air Layer is not … More Under the Saharan Dust

The Generosity of Jamaican Diaspora Organizations

January 24, 2020

There is a lot of talk about the “Jamaican Diaspora.” Politicians talk about the diaspora as if it is a large, homogenous bloc of Jamaicans. Quite a few of our relatives are “Jamaican Diaspora,” in New York, London and elsewhere. Our relatives don’t sound very Jamaican any more when they speak, and the younger ones … More The Generosity of Jamaican Diaspora Organizations

Is This Really “Development”?

September 13, 2019

This letter to Prime Minister Andrew Holness from a group of Neighborhood Associations in Kingston (we are residents and members of one) outlines the dilemma of long-established residential areas such as ours. It was published in the Jamaica Observer here. I also wrote about our important community planning meeting last year on my Gleaner blog page. Thanks … More Is This Really “Development”?

World Environment Day: Cockpit Country, Air Pollution… and Solutions?

June 5, 2019

Tomorrow (Wednesday, June 5) is the United Nations’ World Environment Day. This year’s venue is China, where the theme will be Air Pollution (see below) and if you click on that link above you can learn more from the UN. Some people say there are too many of these “special days” but I don’t have a … More World Environment Day: Cockpit Country, Air Pollution… and Solutions?