Tag: bauxite mining

Urgent statement re: mining-related activities in SML173 – Cockpit Country, Jamaica

November 19, 2022

The lobby group Freedom Imaginaries is raising the alarm. Please read their statement below carefully. This morning I attended a conference which provided valuable updates on the Kingston Harbour Ecosystem Adaptation Measures Project (KHEAM). This impressive project, spearheaded by the GraceKennedy Foundation, embraces several partners and is ensuring full community involvement and buy-in. I met … More Urgent statement re: mining-related activities in SML173 – Cockpit Country, Jamaica

Some events to look out for on climate justice, the environment, and the Caribbean

July 12, 2022

There are a few rather important dates in the summer calendar to keep in mind related to climate change, extractive industries, and more. This week, Greenpeace USA will hold a hybrid press briefing in Kingston (Thursday, July 14 at 10:00 a.m. at the AC Marriott Hotel) as the International Seabed Authority (ISA) reaches a critical … More Some events to look out for on climate justice, the environment, and the Caribbean

“They’ve left us to eat stones now:” The latest Vice News film on the impacts of bauxite mining in Jamaica

May 2, 2022

Last month, the U.S.-based Vice News posted a second video on the community response to bauxite mining in Jamaica. The Jamaica Environment Trust is reminding us to watch it; the YouTube link is here. The 20-minute report is a follow-up to their 2021 feature, which you can find here. As of May 2, the video … More “They’ve left us to eat stones now:” The latest Vice News film on the impacts of bauxite mining in Jamaica

JET acknowledges the declaration of the Cockpit Country Protected Area, but..

March 23, 2022

On March 17, during the Budget Debate in Parliament, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that the Cockpit Country Protected Area has now been officially designated and gazetted. Is that the end of this long story, with its many twists and turns? Well, not quite. You can find the Environmental Impact Assessments on the National Environment … More JET acknowledges the declaration of the Cockpit Country Protected Area, but..

Cockpit Country, Jamaica: “This is an environmental and social justice issue”

January 8, 2022

There is much more to be said about the recent announcement on bauxite mining in the Cockpit Country, which I wrote about in a post earlier this week. Now environmental activist and Founder of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) Diana McCaulay (@dmccaulay) has shared her thoughts in a fairly long Twitter thread, which I am … More Cockpit Country, Jamaica: “This is an environmental and social justice issue”

Cockpit Country: Government decides to permit a reduced mining area, but concerns remain

January 5, 2022

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) announced yesterday (January 3, 2022) that a reduced area will be offered to the Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners II for mining close to the Cockpit Country under the highly controversial Special Mining Licence (SML) 173. Here’s the full text of NEPA CEO Peter Knight’s statement. This will exclude … More Cockpit Country: Government decides to permit a reduced mining area, but concerns remain

JET says there is no confusion over Cockpit Country

November 25, 2021

I sometimes wonder whether media commentators are a little tired of topics like the Cockpit Country, because they are not going away. I can almost see them doing the “eye roll” emoji as they sit down to pen a careless piece for the Sunday Gleaner, such as the article by Mr. Mark Wignall on November … More JET says there is no confusion over Cockpit Country

“The greenest since Independence”: Jamaica Labour Party defends its environmental record

November 6, 2021

As COP26 (the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow) winds on, and Caribbean leaders make wonderful speeches at the podium, the Jamaican Government has been feeling a little pressure at home from some Jamaicans (including myself) who are concerned that the speeches don’t quite match up to activities on the ground. Such activities would include, of … More “The greenest since Independence”: Jamaica Labour Party defends its environmental record

The Cockpit Country issue: a prospecting licence in Jamaica’s Maroon Lands?

November 3, 2021

Cockpit Country is under threat, as never before. Here is another development, which needs some clarification and explanation. Jamaica Environment Trust shared their new concerns, today. JET calls on the Government to honor its commitments not to mine Cockpit Country The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) is dismayed that after the Prime Minister’s announcement in 2017 … More The Cockpit Country issue: a prospecting licence in Jamaica’s Maroon Lands?

This is Gibraltar, St. Ann, Jamaica: Save Cockpit Country

October 30, 2021

These photographs landed in a tweet from Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) on my timeline this afternoon, leaving me with a heavy feeling in my heart. I think they speak for themselves. “I had never been confronted by bauxite mining in this way before,” confessed CEO of JET, Dr. Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie. “Beautiful hillsides with lush forests … More This is Gibraltar, St. Ann, Jamaica: Save Cockpit Country