When human beings come to a more complete understanding of the fact that damage done to the environment is at the same time damage to themselves, they work to establish balance between themselves and the land that sustains them.
If, for example, more Bahamians were to understand the damage that is caused when lead and other metals contaminate underground water supply systems, they would push for the removal of roadside garages from their neighbourhoods.
For that matter, were they to understand the damage done to the environment by gases such as freon, they would react very differently when people dump discarded refrigerators on roadsides and in the bush.
And, for sure, were Bahamians more sensitive and appreciative of the ecological wonder of a reef, they would cry shame on fishermen who use bleach and explosives as part of their gear during the crawfishing season.
Whether reference is made to the cutting down of hills or the indiscriminate dumping of garbage, there is everywhere in The Bahamas compelling evidence to support the conclusion that very many Bahamians are insensitive to the environments which sustain them.
When, for example, an investor is allowed to build without adequate impact assessment studies, damage is done to the entire social order. Similarly, when predatory fishermen use bleach and explosives on sensitive marine environments, they too do this nation a profound disservice.
It necessarily follows that when such attitudes are expressed at home, people dump the debris they generate wherever they wish, regardless of consequences to others. Even if the glance is merely casual, the stranger visiting New Providence or some other towns and cities in The Bahamas would find evidence to support the conclusion that many Bahamians are indiscriminate when it comes to the disposal of debris and garbage.
For whatever reason, Bahamians routinely dump the debris they generate all over the place. This environmental degradation is visually polluting and often noxious. Despite repeated entreaties, the nastiness continues.
Wherever Bahamians live and work, there is evidence to support the conclusion that most of them are inattentive to the need for them to act in ways that are environmentally friendly. When for example, bush mechanics are allowed to set up business wherever they wish, regardless of harm to land, air and water, everybody suffers.
While some of this behaviour is attributable to ignorance, much of it is deliberate, done in the interests of making a dollar, even if it comes at the expense of the environment and other people’s health. Again, there is evidence to suggest that environmental degradation is not a matter concerning poor people. Also involved are a number of people who are investing in The Bahamas, who do untold damage to fragile eco-systems.
Indeed, there is some basis of support for the argument that most Bahamians are so environmentally illiterate that they do not understand the real extent to which the environments sustaining Bahamians are already burdened, some of them to the limits of their carrying capacity.
In the current circumstances of water shortage, this lesson is being hammered home.
On a more superficial level, most Bahamians would, we are sure, understand the need for them to keep their immediate environments clean. The problem arises when these people ‘clean up’ and then dump garbage and debris on the sides of the streets, in abandoned lots or places on the outskirts of this nation’s towns and cities.
Notwithstanding any number of campaigns exhorting Bahamians to be more responsible and more sensitive to the need for them to ‘take pride’ in their surroundings, these messages often fall on stony ground.
Even while there is a need for these kinds of campaigns to continue, there is also a need for more concerted action by government and its social partners.
In the first instance, the government must move with a heightened sense of urgency to enforce urban zoning regulations with a view towards cleaning up our heartland communities, thus making them better places for human habitation.
And, too, the government should, as a matter of high priority, move to put in place laws, rules and regulations regarding impact assessments for any project in The Bahamas.
Obviously, the preservation of fragile eco-systems in The Bahamas comes with a bundle of costs. These, in the ultimate analysis, must be met by government, business and civil society.
Editorial, The Bahama Journal
