Dear Editor,
As I watch the political and environmental manoeuvrings in relation to the proposed development of a trans-shipment port on Goat Islands, I am reminded of a most unpleasant experience which my family and I had many years ago in Manhattan, New York.
We were visiting relatives and decided to take a cruise around the island of Manhattan. However, once we got underway, we were struck by just how filthy the waters were. We subsequently realised the inconvenient truth, that hidden behind the impressive soaring skyscrapers of 5th avenue, the glamour of Times Square, the financial wonder which was Wall Street and the extravagance of Broadway, lies the stark reality that the rapid industrialisation of New York City and the growth in its population, over the past century, had come at a tremendous cost.
The dumping of billions of gallons of toxic industrial waste and sewage into the Hudson, East and Harlem rivers around Manhattan had almost irretrievably ruined the harbour and destroyed its aquatic life. This foul-smelling, foreboding, black, lifeless abyss before us was, in reality, just as much a legacy and just as pertinent to one's quality of life, as was the chic, wealthy and glamorous side of New York.
Given this experience, it is quite clear to me that the callous destruction of our environment is not an option. Neither, however, is the abject poverty of our nation. Therefore, as we collectively contemplate the Goat Islands and other developmental projects, we need to decide where on the continuum of economic development versus environmental purity we wish to be. We simply cannot have it both ways.
At one extreme, we can preserve our pristine, unspoilt environment at the cost of our people remaining poor and destitute. At the other, we can have New York City style economic development at the cost of wanton environmental devastation.
Fortunately for us, this is a false dilemma, as in reality there exists a spectrum rather than isolated absolute extremes. While I agree with the environmental lobby that we need to protect our environment, let us not delude ourselves. We cannot expect to grow, develop and prosper economically without accepting that there will be some compromise to our environment.
Handel Emery
handelemery@hotmail.com
We can't have it both ways; compromise
-->
As I watch the political and environmental manoeuvrings in relation to the proposed development of a trans-shipment port on Goat Islands, I am reminded of a most unpleasant experience which my family and I had many years ago in Manhattan, New York.
We were visiting relatives and decided to take a cruise around the island of Manhattan. However, once we got underway, we were struck by just how filthy the waters were. We subsequently realised the inconvenient truth, that hidden behind the impressive soaring skyscrapers of 5th avenue, the glamour of Times Square, the financial wonder which was Wall Street and the extravagance of Broadway, lies the stark reality that the rapid industrialisation of New York City and the growth in its population, over the past century, had come at a tremendous cost.
The dumping of billions of gallons of toxic industrial waste and sewage into the Hudson, East and Harlem rivers around Manhattan had almost irretrievably ruined the harbour and destroyed its aquatic life. This foul-smelling, foreboding, black, lifeless abyss before us was, in reality, just as much a legacy and just as pertinent to one's quality of life, as was the chic, wealthy and glamorous side of New York.
Given this experience, it is quite clear to me that the callous destruction of our environment is not an option. Neither, however, is the abject poverty of our nation. Therefore, as we collectively contemplate the Goat Islands and other developmental projects, we need to decide where on the continuum of economic development versus environmental purity we wish to be. We simply cannot have it both ways.
At one extreme, we can preserve our pristine, unspoilt environment at the cost of our people remaining poor and destitute. At the other, we can have New York City style economic development at the cost of wanton environmental devastation.
Fortunately for us, this is a false dilemma, as in reality there exists a spectrum rather than isolated absolute extremes. While I agree with the environmental lobby that we need to protect our environment, let us not delude ourselves. We cannot expect to grow, develop and prosper economically without accepting that there will be some compromise to our environment.
Handel Emery
handelemery@hotmail.com
We can't have it both ways; compromise
-->