Editorial for 12 September: Selective environmentalism

To someone new to the Island over the past few months, Cayman must seem like one of the most environmentally progressive places on the planet.

There have been multiple demonstrations and petitions circulated against various planned developments, scores of signs erected against canals in South Sound, newspaper articles quoting sea captains about saving the North Sound and hours and hours of talk on the radio about what Cayman should or should not be doing when it comes to the environment – especially where it involves the surrounding sea.

We therefore find it absolutely astounding that last Wednesday night in the first of the Department of Environment’s public consultation meetings on the future of the marine parks in the Cayman Islands, not a single person showed up – except for the five presenters and two members of the local media.

Here was the chance for those who would have us believe they are so very concerned about such things and that the government is ignoring their representations to have real input into a process that will chart the way forward for a critical aspect of Cayman’s marine environment.

Despite having time to spend hours as guests or calling listeners on radio talk radio shows during the middle of the working day, not one of these people had the time to attend an evening meeting on the subject they hold so dear.

It’s this kind of selective environmentalism that discredits so many of the arguments made by some, who are ultimately seen as driven more by political allegiances, personal biases or financial self-interests than true concerns over Cayman’s environment.

A perfect example of this is the damage being caused to the North Sound by toxic leachate coming from the George Town Landfill. If left unchecked, the leachate would eventually destroy the vitality of our most prized tourism attraction more assuredly than dredging a deep-water channel ever could. Yet, there have been no demonstrations, no petitions, no demands for the government to come up with a solution for the George Town Landfill even though the warning bells sounded long ago.