"Resilience": our new buzzword
But does the average citizen understand what it means?
Ever since Hurricane Beryl passed, our government has latched on to a new buzzword: “Resilience.” Well, actually not a new word. Anyway, the popular recent buzzword “Sustainable” was getting a bit boring. Resilience (or Resilient) can be used in so many ways. It’s flexible and fits in with the jargon that our political leaders indulge in.
Most of our citizens probably have no clue what these words mean, sadly.
Anyway, “Resilience” is in. Why, we even have a “Resilience Park” now (or under construction, in a dry and dusty part of a dry and dusty dormitory town next to Kingston). Our parks or “beautified” areas usually involve expanses of concrete.
Talking of parks and recreation, our Prime Minister Andrew Holness tweeted a video of himself jogging around the Mona Dam just on the outskirts of Kingston. The path goes around a reservoir, built in the colonial era and now entirely inadequate for the city’s water requirements (but that’s another story; not much Resilience there).
Our Prime Minister was jogging round the dam in the dark - a privilege not for the average citizen, since we citizens do not have a security detail. The PM then sat down for a rest, and started talking about the importance of “Infrastructure.” He envisaged the beautiful, untouched area surrounding the dam - huge native trees with spreading branches and a haven for birds - as a great area for Infrastructure. Cut to a photo of a building under construction, shrouded in that green netting.
My problem is I am a bit of a hardcore environmentalist (and perhaps, an alarmist). Our Prime Minister called the Infrastructure to be built around the dam as “recreational.” More concrete? Inevitably so. My instinct is to fear the worst (sorry).
Yup, the Cult of Development is alive and well in Jamaica. And we define Development very differently. It does not include wellbeing, or even growth.
Development = Infrastructure.
Palm Beach County here in Florida has done a wonderful job of reimagining water treatment plants, creating 'wetlands' for a natural way of recycling water and encouraging nesting birds (herons, egrets, storks, ibis, roseate spoonbills, to name a few). If only someone innovative and farsighted could imagine such a solution for Jamaica!!
https://discover.pbcgov.org/waterutilities/Pages/Wetlands.aspx
I agree, Emma, development brings forlorn for me- I write about it, too. I do believe we are all resilient, including nature, and we must be taught what that means, which is my mission of Wildlands!
Keep loving nature, and writing about it- nature needs all of us that are called to write and take action on her behalf!