The questions of human rights and the environment would best be discussed against the backdrop of The United Nations Human Rights Commission definition, that every person has “the right to the highest attainable standard of health, free from environmental harm.”
People “have the right to freedom from pollution, environmental degradation, and activities that adversely affect the environment, threaten life, health, livelihood, well-being or sustainable development within, across or outside national boundaries.”
And yet we are curiously detached from the “environment.” We have over the years, and particularly in the last hundred or so, become hostile to the very system that gives us life. It is as though somehow we see ourselves separate and apart from the Earth.
Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D, a writer and teacher in Seattle and the author of “Healing Our World,” writes “The daily activities of individuals, industries, and politicians cause worldwide deaths that rival the atrocities of war.”
The fact remains that humans are not isolated from the environment (and the environment is definitely not isolated from humans). Because of this indivisibility, the United Nations has written a Declaration of Principles on Human Rights and the Environment.
It claims “human rights violations lead to environmental degradation and that environmental degradation leads to human rights violations.”
The reality is that a clean, safe environment ensures the safety and health of people. Where you find dirty air, dirty water or bad working conditions, it is usually a sure sign of human rights violations.
It is important for us to think about whether we enjoy these rights in The Bahamas.
What is the state of our environment?
To be honest, I believe that as a country on the whole, we have no idea. There are pockets of research that have been done, however, the linkages of that research have not been made so we might see the whole picture. In the 12 years I have been following environmental issues, I see that while attitudes have changed for the better, in that we are beginning to understand how important our environment is, we have a long way to go.
It appears the Government is as bullish about development as was the former government. Where is the dialogue? Where is the openness? The transparency? Where is the inclusion of the citizenry? Where is our Ambassador to the Environment who fought so feverishly for Clifton? How is it that the public is now being left out of the Clifton negotiations?
What is our right to a healthy and sustainable environment that guarantees potable water, fertile lands, clean air, healthy oceans and sustainable fisheries?
Our rights to all of the above depend entirely upon us. If we want a sustainable environment WE have to be prepared to protect it. We must demand the right to participate as equal partners at every level of decision-making, including needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement and evaluation.
While assuming the right to a clean environment we must recognize that we have a sacred obligation to our children.
That obligation can be met by paying attention to the term “sustainability,” by using the natural bounty of the Earth we have been entrusted with to enrich ourselves and others, but not at the expense of future generations. We must recognize the fragility and vulnerability of the Earth that can sustain us, but for which we must be caring, vigilant stewards.
You have to be prepared to take a stand even if that means doing what you can do in your own home to make sure you are not polluting the environment.
In “A Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King wrote, ” We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people”.
Who are the custodians of the environment?
Every person breathing on this Earth is a custodian of the environment. When we pollute the Earth, we diminish ourselves and impoverish our children. More than anything, Nature is what connects us to our spirituality. It is not prudent for our generation to impose debts born of greed and apathy upon our children.
How should the custodians be included in the decisions regarding developments?
It is incumbent upon the government to conduct public meetings informing communities of the developments they wish to undertake on our behalf. For example there are three companies that wish to run natural gas pipelines from various points in the Bahamas to Florida.
Public meetings have been held in Florida to gather public input, however, not one meeting has been held in The Bahamas to discuss these plans.
I am asking you to join me in putting our government and these companies on notice that Bahamians demand the same opportunities afforded Florida residents to voice their concerns about these projects.
The same applies to the exploration of oil. Never mind that the seismic method which they use to look for oil can be detrimental to fish populations and marine mammals. And here again NO public consultation.
What is the relationship between a healthy environment and our economy?
Mr. Robert Kennedy Jr., senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a group that wrote many of the environmental laws implemented in the United States, said it best when he addressed Bahamians regarding Clifton.
“We recognize the reasons we preserve nature, because it enriches us economically, yes, it is the basis of our economy yet we ignore it at our peril.
“Some say that we must choose between the economy and the environment. That is a false choice.
“In 100% of the situations, good environmental policy is good economic policy, if we want to measure the economy in the long term, which we should, instead of the short term, in terms of how it produces jobs and the dignity of those jobs over generations, and how it protects our health, revitalizes, and enriches our communities.
“On the other hand, if we listen to the short-term, fast talkers and treat our planet like a business in liquidation, we could convert our natural resources into cash as quickly as possible ﾖ have a few years of pollution based prosperity ﾖ we could generate instantaneous cash flow and the illusion of a prosperous economy.
But our children are going to pay for our joy ride.
“They will end up paying for it with denuded landscapes ﾖ and big clean-up costs, and will be isolated in narrow strips of degraded landscapes in the middle of a nation that is surrounded by beautiful beaches that they have no access to, that’s how they will pay for our lack of foresight.”
What is sustainable development?
According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, just like us, future generations will need food, water, energy, air, and land, not to mention some wilderness somewhere. We need to act responsibly, leaving something for another day. Most of us want to leave something for our children ﾖ a house, money, jewelry, and other valuables. Why not a livable planet?
We’re not talking abstractions here, but the basics: an adequate water supply, sufficient food, affordable land, effective medicines, clean air and the like.
The things that sustain life.
The term sustainable development has been described by “Our Common Futures” as:
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, with three key objectives for sustainable futures.
1. A socially and environmentally innovative, resource-efficient economy that delivers quality of life in the developed world
2. An improvement of economic welfare and quality of life in the developing countries for all
3. A healthy natural environment with resources used and conserved wisely ﾖ worldwide.
“The guiding rules are that people must share with each other and care for the Earth. Humanity must take no more from nature than nature can replenish.
By Sam Duncombe
Letter To The Editor, The Nassau Guardian
