Brain coral: Caribbean’s natural coastal defences are under threat |
PERSISTENT INJURIES. An inexperienced bowling attack. Tail-enders with a tendency to collapse. England’s recent form in one-day cricket doesn’t bode well for their chances in next year’s Cricket World Cup.
But more importantly, the World Cup doesn’t bode well for the Caribbean itself, according to Professor James Crabbe of the University of Luton. He warns that the rapid development of resorts catering for England’s Barmy Army, among others, is being undertaken with scant regard for the long-term impact on the environment.
“I love my cricket, but the World Cup is bad news for the ecosystem there,” said Crabbe. “Hotel resorts are being built along the coastlines and such developments are destroying the corals and mangrove swamps which provide vital nutrients to help feed the marine life.”
Professor Crabbe, Dean of Luton’s Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science, made his observations after returning from Jamaica, where he recently gave an opening address at the Caribbean Climate Change Conference in Montego Bay.
His research has shown that brain coral, which can form massive structures and help to protect coastlines from wave energy, is vulnerable to damage from hurricanes. As evidence mounts that hurricanes are increasing in number and intensity with global warming, and with rising sea temperatures ‘bleaching’ reefs by destroying their algal content, the natural defences vital to islands such as those in the Caribbean are already under pressure.
However, rather than attempting to mitigate for this threat, Crabbe believes that the World Cup preparations will compound the problems. Sediment and pollution from the new coastal development is likely to damage the reefs further, he says.
“It’s been extremely difficult to interact with politicians on the island – in fact it’s been impossible, because it’s not a top priority,” admit Crabbe. “The top priorities are poverty and crime.”
“But the problem is that you need the environment there in order for the tourists to come, for the ecosystem and the fisheries. It’s all part of the same package,”
Crabbe wants to see proper monitoring of the marine environment before, during and after the World Cup. He is currently developing a computer model that he hopes can be used to promote coral growth by predicting climate changes.
Greener Games
This year’s football World Cup Finals have had a significant green dimension, largely due to their German hosts. The pitches have been sluiced with stored rainwater and the ‘carbon footprint’ for the millions of visitors is claimed to have been offset by investment in reforestation in India and South Africa.
However, National Geographic magazine reports that FIFA itself still has no specific green guidelines – so whether the good work done in Germany will be passed on is uncertain.
The Olympics on the other hand have boasted an environmental policy since 1994, and London’s bid for the 2012 Games included a number of high-profile green innovations.
The Games aims to be the first to pursue a ‘zero waste’ strategy, and the investment in London’s public transport system is expected to bring down the capital’s carbon emissions in the long term. Regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley will also include creation of the ‘largest new urban park in Europe for more than 150 years’.
Perhaps it could herald the birth of a new competitive sport: my games are greener than yours. |
