VI environment needs help
The Parade for the Planet and other events held during this Environment Month were well and good, but such activities need to be accompanied by substantive action if the Virgin Islands is to preserve “Nature’s Little Secrets.”
A pristine environment is extremely important for the territory: Besides the obvious benefits for residents, the tourism industry depends on the VI’s natural beauty.
In recent years, environmental awareness has become a catchphrase here, but the territory has been slow to act accordingly. As a result, ongoing problems are many:
• Buildings and roads are constructed without the necessary mitigation measures in place;
• pollution, runoff, irresponsible boating and other careless practices damage delicate marine ecosystems;
• land is reclaimed and mangroves are destroyed without planning approval;
• untreated sewage is piped directly into the ocean;
• smoke from burning trash pollutes the air as far away as St. John; and
• preventable oil and fuel spills occur too often, among other issues.
Often, these practices directly violate existing laws. Unfortunately, however, much of the legislation designed to protect the VI environment is inadequately enforced, in some cases because it doesn’t have enough teeth to be worth enforcing.
Recently, the very government entity charged with environmental protection was responsible for a particularly egregious example of negligence: The Natural Resources and Labour Ministry started building greenhouses on Tortola and Virgin Gorda without completing required environmental impact assessments.
Meanwhile, some existing laws are hopelessly outdated, such as the regulations that discourage the use of alternative energy.
Unfortunately, legislators appear to be asleep at the wheel in this regard. Government did not keep the promise it made in its 2008 and 2009 Speeches from the Throne to introduce environmental management legislation. Subsequently, the promise was dropped from the 2010 Speech from the Throne.
This omission was disappointing, because stronger laws are clearly needed. Such legislation had been drafted by 2007, according to conservation officials. To date, it has yet to be introduced in the House of Assembly. Legislators should pass this law as soon as possible.
But the government cannot do it alone. Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility, and government initiatives need to be guided and supplemented by collective action on the part of businesses, developers, non-profit organisations, residents and tourists.
Fortunately, the outlook is not entirely bleak. Some businesses — especially resorts — have made significant progress towards going green. And there are at least two non-profit organisations here dedicated to environmental preservation.
These positive examples highlight the fact that protecting the environment does not mean shunning development. On the contrary, today’s technology increasingly allows for development that can bolster the economy in a sustainable manner.
But positive progress will require comprehensive thinking and long-term planning. In the coming months, then, the environment should emerge as a key issue in this year’s election campaigns. Candidates for office should outline specific plans for turning around a dire situation.
Without quick thinking, careful strategy and the collaboration of the entire community, environmental degradation will accelerate. The territory must not let this happen.