23252: lyall: environment bagay (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: J.David Lyall <postmaster@lyalls.net>

We have discussed the environment problems many
times in the past. Suggestions for banning
charcoal transport, weaning the bakeries and dry
cleaners from wood fuel, and subsidizing propane
or kerosene have been made ad nauseum.

Maitre Durban asked (upon the accession of Titid
in 2001) for suggestions for action in the first
100 days of the third coming. Is there any hope
of eco action now, with major cities now being
washed away?

I returned to the home of the brave two weeks
ago. No one noticed any storm down here in
republik de Port au Prince. It is mysterious to
me how Gonaives could be flooded with a meter or
more of water. It is not in a valley, it is a
flat desert mostly. There must have been a LOT of
water coming down the vally from Ennery.

Tele Ginen started broadcasting some months ago
on channel 18. They actually had film from
Gonaives yesterday, beating out Tele Eclair and
the always sleeping Tele Nationale. Oh, Tele
Ginen re-broadcasts the Lehrer News Hour most
nights. In english of course.

I just heard from Dokte Philipe (friend of Bob
Corbetts) that the park rangers at Pik Makaya had
their houses burned down in the past few weeks. A
new assault on the last forests may be in the
making.

How about staioning some UN police to protect the
few dozen park workers in the country? Those
scores of new UN Nissan Patrols visiting the
supermarkets of la ville could be put to better
use, no?

I did see ( a few months ago, before leaving for
kalifornya for three months) a show on wood fuel
in the bakeries. It was probably some NGO
production, but I'd never seen any environmental
news on television before. They are suggesting
that propane is cheaper than wood fuel for a
bakery. I am sure that is true, but coercion will
be necessary to get people to change. Like,
banning wood fuel for bakeries and dry cleaners
in the capital. Can this interim government
legally pass such a resolution? Lawyers respond
please.

karioka wrote:

>The whole world ought to know by now that Haiti
>is an ecological disaster, brought about by 200+
>years of raping the land and stealing from the
>poor.  Please, not another fancy commission to
>waste more money on stating the obvious!
>Rather, now that it has been painfully
>established that when others in the region
>sneeze, Haiti is  sick pneumonia, what urgent
>measures does the Latortue government propose to
>take to stem this dangerous trend?  The
>environment is Haitiís most immediate challenge,
>greater than disarming a few hundreds uniformed
>ìSans-Manmanî and ChimËres, even greater than
>the threat of an Aristide comeback.

-- 
J. David Lyall
http://www.lyalls.net/