Environmental Cost

Recent Environmental Workshop in the Cayman Islands. There is an interesting environmental article in today’s Cayman Net News. I interrupt a series of posts examining the working of the Anguilla Environmental Charter to bring you a mention of it.

Apparently, a group of environmental officials from the British Overseas Territories in the West Indies met there to discuss how to calculate the monetary value of our environments.

The experts hope to be able to help our decision makers become more aware of the need to do a cost benefit analysis. They must learn to take into account environmental and social values, and not just the direct financial considerations of development projects.

The truth is that there are no prices or values placed to our eco-system good and services. The natural and cultural environment is not like other financial assets that are traded in markets.

Unless our leaders can come to understand the economic value of our environment, they will be unable to make good decisions about projects and policies.

Who knows what value we lost when Mr Hodge sold all the sand at Windward Point.

What about the value of Sile Bay Beach. Was what Ronald got for the sand worth the cash he received? Was whatever fine he paid anywhere near the equivalent of what we lost?

Who represented Anguilla at this workshop?

Will we get a report on how what was learned will be put to work for Anguilla?