The use of the environment and development

The use of the environment and development

Many blame environmental destruction brought by logging and mining for the recent flash floods in the country. The accusing finger is pointed at the rampant logging and mining operations as culprits. These tragedies and incidents belie all assurances of responsible and sustainable use of the environment that the government is telling us.

Let me present my thoughts in relation to the use of our environment:

1. Our government, just like any other government, desires development for the country. And there is always a trade-off between development and the use of the environment. Development is impossibility without the use of the environment. Hence the use of the environment for development is inevitable. However, when wanton use and greed are involved, the environment may be abused to the hilt. Personally, I do not espouse a zero-use of the environment. Conversely, I am for the intelligent and efficient use of it;

2. Income growth is different from development. If the use of the environment is purely for income growth then it should be discouraged because it is a short-term economic program. It should focus on development- a sustained economic growth coupled with the empowerment and improvement of the lives of our people, plus their health is robust, and their immediate environment is clean. If the environment is abused then development is also impaired;

3. Environment should be harnessed and not harvested. This means that we can use the environment but it should be within the bounds of reason and morality and withn the context of simple, not excessive, lifestyle;

4. Our environment should remain healthy which means that we should allow the environment to heal itself and not to harm it just to satisfy our overwhelming needs. In other words, we should integrate sustainability in our environment which is equivalent to environmental protection;

5. I do not like to pontificate but we are considered stewards of the environment. As stewards, we should find out if the environment can sustain us and the next generation without harming itself. Otherwise, we should not disturb the environment and insist that it should put up with our insatiable human greed;

6. We are beset by global concerns like hunger, poverty, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. If the use of the environment aggravates these global threats then we should leave the environment in peace. It is highly imprudent and immoral to pursue the exploitation of the environment in the wake of these global threats;

7. If the use of the environment is to provide wood materials and metallic needs of other countries other that ours, I oppose it. There are unscrupulous people who are unconcerned and would allow the infliction of injurious damage to our environment because of greed and that is grievously immoral;

8. I am not convinced that logging, especially mining, is the only option open to the government for the country’s economic recovery. We can have sustainable economic benefits in other areas like tourism, agriculture, rich marine resources, cultural heritage, and natural landscapes;

9. There should be a science-based extensive study on the use of the environment for development purposes. It should be impartial and objective though. The result of the study should be politics-free, not fabricated or distorted, not biased, not interest-driven, and not pre-determined and market-oriented findings;

10. Principles of community-orientation and social acceptability should be the regulative guides in the use of the environment. If the people do not like logging or mining after informing them with detailed information about the use of the environment then at all cost we should respect the will of the people. Our people are our strongest assets and not the short-term economic gains we benefit from logging and mining.

Logging and mining would not have been hard pills to swallow for our people if their communities and their lives would have attained real development and that their health and well-being are robust and their environment is protected from abused. It is also disheartening that there are some of our leaders who push with brute force and chauvinism for the revitalization of mining. I just wish that that they would have more compassion, respect, and understanding of our poor people who have less in life.