2020 and sustainable development
Published:Monday | December 30, 2019 | 12:15 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
The year 2020 is upon us and we should reflect on where we are and where we need to be going in terms of sustainable development. I would like to suggest a few points for consideration as follows:
n Tourism needs to be more focused on development which integrates benefits for the people in the communities and the workers in the industry. Continuing with an approach where we develop beautiful beach properties and across the road, we have neglected squatter settlements and poverty prevailing is a formula for disaster, and our politicians, planners and implementors need to rethink our approaches.
n Mining – I do not believe we can stop all mining overnight, but we need to preserve our natural environs, especially in the Blue and John Crow Mountains and Cockpit Country, and ensure we begin to plan for a phasing out of bauxite mining as a major plank in our economic development.
n Forest management, valuation and carbon trading – We environmentalists now need to focus on the management of our forests and valuing the carbon sequestration so we can trade the carbon credits on the international market with firms that have a major carbon footprint. The funds generated can then be used to better manage and preserve our forests and provide alternative livelihoods that are more sustainable than jobs in mining.
n Logistics and Manufacturing – We now need to encourage our entrepreneurs to forge partnerships with major manufacturing companies in the USA, Europe, China, India and other countries to seriously develop our potential as a logistics and manufacturing hub, particularly for high-end consumer products. From a geopolitical and location perspective, Jamaica is ideally placed to take advantage of our creative and easily trainable people to become the ‘Singapore of the Caribbean’.
n Corruption, Cronyism and Crime – Reduction and eventual elimination must be a priority for 2020, where we show our seriousness about dealing with these curses and get serious about integrity and upholding the law. Those who are guilty must be brought to book; let us show the world we are serious.
Robert Stephens