Challenge to political parties

Headline: Challenge to political parties

The following article has been submitted by the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.

AS BARBADOS moves toward its 2025 target for reaching developed nation status, the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at Cave Hill would like to throw out the question:

"What will the achievement of developed country status mean for Barbados given the limits on its natural resource? Indeed, do we know what those limits are?

As Barbados' three political parties gear up toward general elections, CERMES is encouraging and inviting each party to take up the challenge of making sustainability and environmental considerations a key platform in their political manifestos and dialogue with the electorate.

The Barbados Sustainable Development Policy states that for sustainable development, it is essential that "biophysical limits to growth are taken into consideration".

However, these limits have seldom been clearly identified and stated in a way that can guide implementation. In this light, there exist a number of "hot topics" for the parties to tackle in their election agendas as they decide what policies are needed to provide for the continued well-being of the people of Barbados without compromising the sustainable future of "these fields and hills".

Dialogue on Barbados' physical development agenda would be most meaningful in the context of a Physical Development Plan (PDP) that had been passed by Parliament, rather than one that has been in draft since 2003.

This calls into question whether there has been any meaningful social, environmental and economic cost-benefit analysis to determine to what point residential, commercial and agricultural development can be taken before it threatens Barbados' landscape and long-term sustainability.

Time to implement physical plan

For a small country, the establishment of a system of parks and protected areas (land and sea) for preservation and use of natural heritage is a good indicator of its commitment to defining limits to growth. While such provisions exist in many of Barbados' policy documents and the draft PDP, it seems time for serious implementation.

Tourism is Barbados' main economic driver and foreign exchange earner, but political parties are urged to be mindful of the carrying capacity of the finite landspace and resources as they set tourism targets. A "head count" policy is not enough and the question of "how many is too many?" needs to be put under the microscope to inform policy, planning and programmes.

The limits of sustainability can be further questioned when one considers the major road network expansion currently under way and the high ratio of cars to people that exists.

These cars use non-renewable energy, generate air pollution and create problems for disposal once they have passed their useful life.

Unhealthy view of water supply

Greater attempts must also be made by politicians to debunk the "myth" that golf courses and resorts, which pull their irrigation supplies straight from water catchment areas via private wells and not from the Barbados Water Authority mains, are not having a negative impact on the island's water supply.

Barbados is one of the most water scarce countries in the world, but this reality is not reflected in people's and industries' attitudes to water use or the management of the water resources. All sources are interconnected and critical on this water-scarce island.

Although emphasis is being placed on alternative energy generation, little is being done to put more incentives in place to encourage energy conservation. While not condemning the shift in focus toward natural gas, there should be less reliance on this energy source. Instead, a higher percentage of renewables should be targeted in the energy mix.

Low-carbon economy

As Barbados moves toward a low-carbon economy, it must be remembered that burning natural gas still produces the "greenhouse gases" carbon dioxide and methane, albeit less.

Despite Barbados having led the region in solar water heating initiatives for the past three decades, there remains a lack of diversification into other areas of solar technology and more incentives should be provided to encourage this.

Barbados has taken the lead in proposing the Common Fisheries Policy and Regime for CARICOM, which is a positive move, but its domestic fisheries legislation is very deficient (mainly due to the absence of regulations under the Fisheries Act after 15 years).

Hence it is not really prepared in legislation and administrative provisions to undertake fisheries management.

While these concerns do not run the full gamut of environmental issues facing the island, the CERMES team felt that these were the ones that called for the most careful consideration as Barbados enters into a new year and possibly a new political administration.