Part 1

Antigua Small Islands Developing States (SIDS)4 Conference: Let's Raise Awareness About Environmental Degradation

By Kwame Nkosi Romeo

Antigua and Barbuda's scenery reflects a lack of care and resources, symbolizing a governance system in disarray, much like a malfunctioning garbage truck. 

The Antigua Labor Party (ALP) government's disregard for environmental issues and sustainable livelihood, which refers to earning a living without depleting natural resources or damaging the environment in exchange for under-the-table benefits, has been on display for decades.

This approach harms the environment and undermines our communities' long-term economic and social well-being. 

Prioritizing sustainable development and protecting our vulnerable ecosystems is not just a matter of time; it's urgent.

The playbook of such environmental degradation and abuse of power can be seen at Dickenson Bay and the polluting of the McKinnons pond in Antigua. 

Thus, decades of dredging created chaos and destroyed the entire coastline. 

So, too, was sand mining activity and destruction spanning many decades at Palmetto Point in Barbuda. The residual effects reverberate throughout the twin-island nations with land dispossession, the disaster of flooding, and disastrous hurricanes.

According to Marine Biologist John Mussington, the area of Palmetto Point that lies in the Codrington Lagoon National Park (CLNP) designated a RAMSAR site is nearing destruction:

"Barbuda is losing beach shoreline in the Palmetto Point area where there is severe erosion taking place. The biodiversity of the area has been severely compromised to the point of being nearly completely destroyed." (Antigua Observer, April 17, 2017)

The role of civil society in holding the government and others accountable for their actions, representing the needs of communities and vulnerable stakeholders, protecting ecosystems, and supporting sustainable development and resilience in SIDS countries is not just significant; it's crucial. 

Your voice and actions matter in this fight. Yet many NGOs were sidelined, and not one invitation was forthcoming. Shame on the ALP government and SIDS4!

Establishing clear responsibilities and decision-making processes to address climate change policies and international relations effectively is not just necessary; it's urgent. 

The government must prioritize fulfilling its climate change obligations and protecting vulnerable ecosystems immediately. 

We need to see real change, not just empty promises.

Empowering local communities in decision-making processes concerning ecological preservation and sustainable development is not just important; it is the key to our collective success. 

It's a beacon of hope that can inspire us all. Constructive dialogues and consultations with relevant stakeholders, including environmental experts and community leaders, are not just imperative for progress; they encourage us all to take action. Participation and input are invaluable in these discussions.

A conference said to represent 600+ Ambassadors, 113 Countries, and 243 Islands, with a population of about 65 million people, while excluding others critical of ALP environmental policies is shameful and unethical. The majority of people are dissatisfied with the SIDS4 partisan arrangement! 

This SIDS is the fourth conference that has occurred every ten years since Barbados in April 1994.

The recent groundbreaking ruling by the UK Privy Council, in favor of John Mussington and Jacklyn Frank, has not only unnerved the Legislative branches of Antigua and Barbuda but has also ignited a beacon of hope and optimism for the future of environmental protection in the nation.

This ruling, which upheld the rights of local communities and the importance of environmental preservation, is a significant step towards holding the government accountable for its actions and ensuring the protection of our vulnerable ecosystems. 

It is a testament to the power of advocacy and the resilience of our people in the face of environmental degradation. 

It is a testament to the unwavering spirit of the people of the twin-island nation, who have courageously battled against the Antigua Labor Party (ALP) government's discriminatory investment practices, abuse of power, and environmental degradation. 

Mussington and Frank's resilience in such challenges is truly admirable.

Notably, the ALP government was previously warned by Mussington and other environmentalists about the danger of building the airport on wetlands, which are significant for the planet's waste-water treatment facility and carbon-storing champions crucial for food security. 

Wetlands, home to between 300 and 400 million people, play a pivotal role in bolstering rice cultivation, a staple in the diet of half the world's population. Thus, they underline their crucial contribution to global food security. 

Neither the prime minister nor robber baron investors have any regard for the environment, food security, or the principles of justice and fairness.

This institutional politics of the ALP continues from the usurpation of the Development Control Authority (DCA) in the 1990s—the residual effects of these environmental disasters boomerang throughout the twin-island nations with disastrous flooding and hurricanes. 

The ALP's policy of usurping the power of the DCA, as was mentioned in the December 1994 report Antigua and Barbuda: A Legacy of Environmental Degradation, Policy Failure, and Coastal Decline, has led to severe erosion, loss of biodiversity, and increased vulnerability to natural disasters. These are not just environmental issues; they are threats to our very existence:

"Perhaps the most critical agency in terms of protecting A/B coastal resources, and the agency that has had the least authority, is the Development Control Authority (DCA). This agency has been and is routinely bypassed by developers and even regular citizens, who simply take their construction/development plans directly to Cabinet. When the DCA has attempted to exert its authority, its Director/Acting Director has often been pointedly informed by Cabinet not to interfere. "

A subsequent report corroborates the above of lack of oversight as regards to the environment:

"Although storm impacts are emphasized in this report, other factors play major roles in determining the erosion/accretion rates along the beaches of Antigua. The role of development to close to the shoreline, sand mining, dredging, coastal protection structures, beach orientation, and relief of nearby landscape should never be underestimated."

https://www.oas.org/pgdm/hazmap/cstlersn/ant_bar/cersn_tc.htm

Judge Albert J Redhead protected the rights of people and the environment and could neither be bought nor manipulated by the powers that be! 

His ruling on sand mining in Barbuda was met with opposition from ALP government minister Hilroy Humphreys, who contemptuously disagreed and was sentenced to one month in prison. Still, due to the persuasive influence of the ALP on the Governor General, Humphreys was granted a full pardon the same day!

In that instance, Justice Don Mitchell (retd) referred to the fearlessness of Judge Redhead compared to others: 

"We have had our share of Judges who have taken shelter under silly technicalities in order to avoid possibly embarrassing the government."

Justice Mitchell's analytical article 40 Years of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court  surmises the influence of the ALP government on that judgment:

"It is no fault of the court or Antigua legal system that the Governor General was persuaded by the government to grant a full pardon the same day."

To be continued....