An article published in Stabroek Business has won this year's Biodiversity Award. We congratulate reporter Nicosia Smith on her expose of the illegal exports of dolphins while also noting that "biodiversity" and "business" sound like rather incongruous partners.
Business and the environment do not exactly go hand in hand. In fact capitalists and environmentalists are seen as having sharply different goals: one to preserve the planet the other to exploit it. There are sectors where this is certainly the case: mining and the oil sectors no matter how hard the companies proclaim their "greenness", are causing widespread destruction. One commercial for an oil conglomerate makes it seem as if they run a wildlife refuge. The idea that an oil company that pollutes one part of the world can sponsor an environmental project in another is galling in its cynicism.
But in many other areas it is simply a case of nudging businesses into greener practices. This has included mandating the fuel industry to "get at the lead" or the car manufacturers to reduce fuel consumption so as to cut down on greenhouse gases. Sadly the progress on this has been negated by the popularity of SUVs, far too many of which are guzzling gas in Guyana. Using recycled paper is another area that has been widely adopted, including the newsprint you are now holding. It is worth mentioning that despite its financial difficulties, Caribbean Container Inc continues to remove 200 tonnes of waste paper from the municipal waste system every month and in the process has created several direct and indirect jobs. Alternative energy is one area that is yet to be fully exploited and could solve many poor families' power problems. A simple solar panel, battery and bulb can provide light for a student to work at night for around $30,000 and you don't get a bill at the end of the month.
But calls to preserve Guyana's environment are mostly heard from international NGOs which concentrate on promoting conservation of the rainforest and safer mining practices. Sadly there does seem to be some level of resentment towards these initiatives. Sustainable logging is one concept that some timber companies quietly scoff at calling it commercially unviable, while continuing to export whole logs that provide no benefits in the form of skilled jobs that could come from downstream processing. The mining industry's use of mercury and some miners' disregard for Amerindian habitats are areas that certainly need strict regulation. And as the dolphin article implies the local wildlife trade has a lot to learn about conservation if they want to continue to stay in business.
Closer to home, some city retailers dump garbage in vacant lots while no one is looking. We have long called for the soft drink manufacturers to come together and start a recycling programme for all those plastic bottles that clog up drains. It makes good business sense to show you care about your environment instead of looking as if you contribute to the problem. Instead a small businesswoman on the West Bank Demerara is struggling to find a market for plastic bottles she has piled up at her recycling plant.
Waste on the seawall from fast food packaging is an abomination but we do not see the companies who sell these products leading clean-up campaigns. The onus is of course on consumers but businesses need to play their part, indeed to set an example on better environmental practices.
We will continue to highlight those companies that both harm and benefit the country's resources. Business may not be about saving the planet but the planet is where we all are and you can't sell fast food and soda on the moon.