Unsustainability: Environmental or Economic?

                                                      (Taken at MovieTowne Port-of-Spain)

The Bruntland Report states that even while aiming for sustainability, international economic exchanges should be satisfied to gain economically within regions. The above picture represents an area used for entertainment and relaxation for adults and children, even me. There is a movie theatre, various restaurants, a supermarket, clothes stores, jewelry stores etc. It is an establishment that provides economic gains to stakeholders, owners of businesses within the area and employees.

However, does anyone know what was in that area of land before MovieTowne?

Well I will tell you. That area used for MovieTowne was previously mangroves that were part of the Caroni Swamp that is in Invarders Bay POS. The land used to build this is reclaimed land. Reclaimed land is when new land is created from the sea. Land reclaimed for the purpose of development is often done within estuaries where there is an abundance of flat land accessible by both land and sea and areas where waste can be easily disposed (EMA Coastal Development Guidebook). That area was chosen to construct this complex to cater for the population in the Port-of-Spain area. However, it did not only cater to those as people came from all over Trinidad because it was the only area that offered entertainment of that type.

There are various negative impacts of land reclamation. According to Fortes (2001) land reclamation affect: natural morphology of coastal areas, coastal biological resources such as fishes, sedimentation in the reclaimed location, mangroves and reefs. In the case of MovieTowne POS the ecosystem most affected was the mangroves. Mangroves have a variety of roles that include: maintaining the stability of the coastline, preventing abrasion and intrusion, habitat for organisms and the wood from mangroves can be used for some economic purposes (Dahuri et.al. 2001). The removal of the mangroves along the Invaders Bay may have tremendous impact on the coastline in that area: flooding in that area may increase if there is a slight rise in sea level (which is predicted to happen due to global warming), in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane the coastline is very vulnerable since the mangroves that acted as a buffer is no longer there, habitats destroyed, water quality decreases and there is always the looming potential for the area that was once sea to become the sea again.

I agree that Trinidad was in need of something that could offer various forms of entertainment in one place for both adults and children. But it could have been done in a more sustainable way. An area could have been chosen where less damage to the environment would be done. This project was not only about the people but also about economic gain and an attempt to gain economically sustainability was compromised. It was viewed as a way to maximize revenue being earned by using the idea that to have a good standard of living one’s personal consumption had to be high where in this case it was the activities one took part in. According to Hall and Barrett (2012), there is a conflict between short-term economic development and long term environmental needs. This can be reflected in the fact that rising living standards are defined in terms of increasing levels of personal consumption and this is not compatible with environmental sustainability. So to achieve an economic goal the environment was placed in the background.

Currently there are plans in progress since the Government of Trinidad and Tobago gave it the ok to expand MovieTowne using the available 80acres of land on the Invaders Bay that is behind the land already in use. According to the Express Newspapers, Derek Chin and Jerry Joseph attempt to transform the Invaders Bay into to the entertainment and economic hub of the Caribbean. This will boost the economy of T&T and will be a major tourism pull factor. It will include a bowling alley, ice skating rink, pool, sporting centers, aquarium, a housing complex, the culture of T&T will be on show (Carnival, T&T’s influence from other countries such as; India, Africa and China, sporting heroes), the incorporation of major blockbusters from abroad such as: Disney, Madam Tussaud’s and Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

From the above in all the plans and what will be built there is nothing speaking to the benefit of the environment of T&T. There is only talk about what will benefit the economy and what people want for enjoyment. Nothing about what the environment needs, what could be done to give back to the environment. How much of this neglect do you think the environment can take before it gives up on us? It’s all about what we want to live our lives comfortably and enjoyably and how to make money. It’s never about how to conserve the thing that is allowing us to live and giving us what we need and want. However, I’m not saying that this project is all bad because people need somewhere to relax and have fun while; the government needs to find avenues to sustain the economy. All I am saying is that the environment needs to be considered when plans are being made and carried out. Something in this major plan should have been set up to benefit the environment because it to is important.  

This song Price Tag by Jessie J says, “It’s not about the money, money, money” and it whatever is being done anywhere in the world should never be about money. There are other more important factors to consider.

References:

Dahuri R, Rais J, Ginting SP dan Sitepu MJ.  2001.  Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Pesisir dan Lautan Secara Terpadu. PT. Pradnya Paramita. Jakarta.

Environmental Management Authority. 2011. Guidebook for Hydrodynamic Considerations in Coastal and Marine CEC Applications. http://www.ema.co.tt/docs/techServ/cec/hydrodynamic_guidebook.pdf.

Fortes M. 2001. Loss of Seagrasses and Mangroves in Asia Pacific: Bitingthe Hand that Feeds. Paper presented at the global conference on“Oceans and Coasts at Rio+10”. UNESCO. December 3-7, 2001. Paris.

Hall and Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. Routledge Publishing. London and New York page 309.

Ramdass, Anna. 2012. The Entertainment Capital of the Caribbean. Trinidad Express Newspapers.