'GREEN' lobbyists have judged as largely superficial the environmental promises entailed in the manifestos of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) — the two major contenders for control of the next government.

The JLP has promised, among other things:

* continued public awareness through the introduction of environmental studies into the high school curriculum, and public education programmes to encourage environmentally friendly practices in everyday living;

* the strict enforcement of laws and regulations relating to illegal dumping and littering, as well as the development and promotion of community-based solid waste management systems for rural areas;

* the establishment of special facilities for the disposal of medical and hazardous waste, tyres and batteries;

* the development of a waste-to-energy project as well as the completion of the Environment and Planning Act; and

* the strengthening of regulations to guard the activities in protected areas and provide a base for planning and development.

The PNP have said they will make 'reduce, replenish, recovery, recycle and re-use' the key elements of their policy approach to strategic environmental management to gain greater efficiencies in resource use and conservation. In addition, the party said they would:

* protect Jamaica's biodiversity, which is currently ranked fifth in endemism (number of species found only in Jamaica) among small island states;

* strengthen the system of national parks and protected areas to ensure conservation of genetic resources;

* put in place interventions to ensure continued improvements in air quality;

* implement 'a major initiative' to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and capitalise on foreign exchange earnings from the trade in carbon credits; and

* finally open the doors to the long-awaited climate change unit "to help drive Jamaica's co-ordination and management of the country's climate change efforts".

But with both manifestos short on details as to precisely how the parties intend to realise their goal, local environmental lobbyists are shaking their heads in frustration.

"They are just inadequate... It just seems to be lip service without any specifics... talking about mitigation and adaptation without showing an understanding of what it really entails," said Wendy Lee, executive director for the Northern Jamaica Conservation Association (NJCA).

"There seems to be no credible effort to reconcile environmental conservation — wildlife and habitat conservation -- with the plans (for example) for the mining and quarrying sector. A lot of the economic projections that they are making are contingent upon a massive expansion in quarrying and it is just incompatible with the steps that are necessary to protect our critical natural areas," she added.

Lee also took issue with the absence of any noted intent to engage civil society groups in decision-making on important resources.

"I see nowhere in the manifestos a willingness to work with NGOs (non-governmental organisations), and it is NGOs that have driven every aspect of environmental advocacy and pushed for environmental conservation in this country," she said.

"And, of course, in most cases, it is the government that is the destroyer of the environment," Lee added, citing lawsuits brought by civil society groups — NJCA and the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) included — against the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA)/Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) over the development of the Bahia Principe Hotel in the ecologically sensitive Pear Tree Bottom in St Ann (2006). She also pointed to legal action brought against NEPA/NRCA for the Palisadoes Rehabilitation and Shoreline Protection project inside the Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area earlier this year.

The Pear Tree Bottom case was brought under the PNP administration, while the Palisadoes suit was brought under the incumbent JLP.

"It is the government, in most cases, that is at fault for failure to monitor and enforce what they have approved," insisted Lee.

At the same time she criticised the waste-to-energy proposal of the JLP, insisting it is "doomed to failure economically and environmentally".

"There is not a single successful example in the world of a waste-to-energy plant," she said.

At the same time, Lee said there would continue to be little success with recycling until there is a "mandatory deposit refund system for plastic beverage bottles".

"We have a few companies that have tried and are trying to do recycling but I am sorry to say they are not going to get anywhere in the long term until there is an incentive for people to deposit their bottles because the cost of collection is always going to make recycling unprofitable," she said.

Lee also chided the PNP on its climate change pronouncements.

"Talk of climate change adaptation is really just words. We have long known what is necessary to help to mitigate the impact of climate change and adapt to it. The answer is simply protect and manage our natural environment effectively, enforce our planning and zoning regulations and having the local planning authorities (parish council) adhere to the parish development orders," she said.

"So forest conservation is a priority, and what we have seen from both governments is the earmarking of some of our most important natural areas -- not for conservation but for construction -- the selling off of our coastal areas, which are the most vulnerable to climate change, the failure to put in place building requirements to ensure low-impact development on coastal resources," Lee added.

"Instead, both governments have pursued a path of massive mega hotel construction. And not only is this environmentally disastrous but it is economically unsuitable," she said further.

Meanwhile, the JLP has noted its recognition that the ability to manage the environment will determine prospects for sustainable development and long-term prosperity, while indicating the party would continue "to promote environmental protection policies, including the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and conduct environmental audits".

It has also noted that it will ensure "compliance with" the island's obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, while NEPA will continue public education on the relevant aspects of the Wildlife Protection Act and prosecute persons in breach.

The PNP said it was committed to sustainable economic development and is cognisant of the link between the environment and industrial and commercial activities. The opposition also laid claim to having "pioneered most of Jamaica's environmental management policy initiatives" and noted a commitment "to ensuring the protection of Jamaica's environment and the conservative use and protection of its natural and heritage resources".

Like the JLP, the party said, too, that it is aware that "environmental quality bears a strong and crucial relationship to an improved standard of living, human health, economic and social advancement and quality of life for our citizens and visitors alike".

But, according to zoologist Dr Byron Wilson, the proof of the proverbial pudding will be in the eating -- following tomorrow's general elections.

"Talk is cheap. Let's wait and see what happens. I have been here 15 years and all I have seen is the continued deterioration of the natural environment," he said.

Still, Wilson said the JLP's stated intention to advance the NBSAP is promising.

"A first step would be to actually act on the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Number one would be the Goat Islands plan (which is to develop that area into a reserve for iguanas and other threatened species) because it is in there (the NBSAP), and also charcoal burning in the Hellshire hills is still happening," said the University of the West Indies lecturer and head of the Jamaica Iguana Recovery Group that does work in both locations.

"If either party would do those two things, I would be really happy... If that happened, I would fall on the ground and cry with happiness," he said.

Robert Stephens, chairman of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) — managers of the Blue and John Crow Mountain National Park — said he was "totally dissatisfied" with both manifestos.

"The environment is taking a kind of back seat and it needs to be put front and centre with economic development, which must be done in an sustainable way, which means that it must protect the environment. One of the problems we seem to have is that there seems to be a conflict and there does not need to be a conflict..." he said.

Diana McCaulay, chief executive officer for JET, said the manifestos lacked substance.

"They are both totally inadequate and lacking in specificity," she told Environment Watch.

"Both say they are going to pursue limestone mining, without any exploration of the impacts this would have on biodiversity and probably water supply (and) depending on where the limestone is mined, will necessarily remove forests and vegetation," McCaulay said.

She similarly criticised their promise to revitalise aquaculture without saying how they would do so.

"I believe it is true we cannot compete in world markets due to high costs of energy and security. The introduction of tilapia into our rivers has devastated native species — and fish farming is arguably not successful in Jamaica. The JLP's manifesto says they are going to bring in new species for fish farming; this should not be done," McCaulay said.

"The JLP's manifesto says the Cockpit Country will be declared a no-mining zone. (This is) very welcome, but could they get on with it, please? This was part of their last election campaign," she added.

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