The eco warrior

Dr Theresa Rodriguez- Moodie is deeply concerned about the repeated actions of mankind that harm the environment. As the CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), she fights daily for the protection of the environment, arguing that without a healthy environment, there can be no healthy people or economy. She has been a leading voice on issues such as the repeated pollution of the Rio Cobre, deep-sea mining, and the need to promote sustainable development.

Rodriquez-Moodie is very worried that with multiple and repeat instances of pollution of the Rio Cobre, coupled with the absence of full disclosure on the water quality, people may be exposed to serious long-term health risks.

JET, Rodriguez-Moodie says, harbours deep concerns about the recurring pollution of the Rio Cobre. The river suffers from the repeated discharge of effluent, which has negatively impacted the water quality of the river, resulting in fish kills, loss of livelihood for fishers, and severe disruption in community life. The consistent contamination of this vital St Catherine waterway, combined with insufficient transparency regarding water quality and pollution sources, endangers the health of Jamaicans who depend on the river for recreation and sustenance.

“We have made a lot of request for information, specifically about the Rio Cobre, which we did not get, and not all we have been able to follow up,” Rodriguez-Moodie said.

One thing she didn’t say out loud was that the continuous poisoning of the Rio Cobre with unknown chemicals could present Jamaica’s version of the Flint, Michigan, public health crisis.

The Flint crisis in the United States was due to people drinking water contaminated with lead and possibly the Legionella bacteria, leading to significant health issues.

The water was blamed for the deaths of 12 persons following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. It is estimated that between 6,000 and 12,000 children are at risk from the long-term effects of lead poisoning as a result of them drinking the water. Experts said the children could suffer a reduction in intellectual functioning, increased issues with mental and physical health, and an increased chance of Alzheimer’s disease.

Rodriguez-Moodie said that JET, a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting Jamaica’s natural resources, has faced significant obstacles in obtaining timely and pertinent information from governmental agencies about the pollution events. She said the organisation has to fight to obtain critical information from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the primary body responsible for environmental protection in Jamaica. NEPA, she said, is often slow in sharing important information, thus necessitating use of the Access to Information Act (ATI) to obtain the release of information.

The painstaking manner in which JET has has to go about obtaining information appears to be at odds with a treaty signed by Jamaica to promote access to environmental information in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Government ratified the Escazú Agreement in 2019 at the 74th United Nations General Assembly held in New York by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith. It requires countries to ensure that the public has the right to obtain access to environmental information, participate in decisions that affect the environment, and obtain justice for environmental wrongs.

“I think we are in an age of technology where things should be a lot easier. Also, there are lots of things that are available. I am not quite sure the reasoning behind not providing this information,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

The difficulty in obtaining information from state agencies is one of the many frustrating aspects of the life of this environmental scientist, who had less stress in her previous life as a consultant and researcher before she became CEO of JET.

Climate vulnerability assessments

“If I wasn’t doing this, I would probably be working as an environmental consultant. This is what I was doing before I came to JET. I enjoyed it. It was a lot of variety in the types of projects. Yes, I did work on a lot of environmental assessments, but I did do a lot of other types of projects, like climate vulnerability assessments, and I did like the challenge in terms of the variety of projects, but I didn’t feel like I was making an impact, and I always want to make an impact through the work that I was doing,” she said. But, she does not regret making the move, although the transition was not easy.

“When I told people that I would be leaving from environmental consultancy and going into advocacy, I had a few ‘Are you crazy?’ responses, as persons felt that it didn’t seem like the right fit because of my personality. But I didn’t see it that way,” she said.

The mother of two said that while it is neither her mission nor her demeanour to be adversarial, she is not afraid to put her foot down and stand her ground. In fact, that is how she has operated since 2021 when she took over the reins of JET.

The fight to keep the Rio Cobre pollution-free and to find out the pollutants in the river is just one aspect of the work being undertaken by the Rodriguez-Moodie-led JET. Her organisation has been at the forefront of the battle for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. Deep-sea mining involves the extraction of minerals from the ocean floor using hydraulic pumps to transport deposits to the surface.

Environmentalists argue that deep-sea mining could bring about irreversible damage to the marine environment. JET has been urging the Government of Jamaica to join the growing calls for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. To date, 27 countries have announced their support for a moratorium or a ban on deep-sea mining. JET asserts that a moratorium would provide extended protection for marine ecosystems while allowing time to learn more about the deep sea and assess long-term potential impacts.

The need for

urgent action

“The devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl across sections of the Caribbean highlights the need for urgent action in the midst of this climate emergency. Jamaica must demonstrate its leadership in the region by protecting our oceans, which are already under threat, not exploit them. We must not support a new, destructive, extractive industry that will likely worsen the climate crisis,” Rodriguez-Moodie said last week.

JET advocates for a balanced approach to development that prioritises environmental protection and the well-being of people. Rodriguez-Moodie argues that development should not be viewed solely through the lens of economic growth but must also consider environmental sustainability and public health.

“People must be at the centre of development, not come in at the back end, as is often the case. Development cannot be framed strictly as gross domestic product or economic benefit while ignoring the other branches that form the whole. Jamaicans have a right to a healthy environment and clean air, and proactive disclosures for the environment should be readily available,” she asserts.

Addressing specific issues, Rodriguez-Moodie cites the need for better environmental management, monitoring, and enforcement by NEPA. The long-overdue Environmental Impact Assessment regulations and the revision of the Natural Resource Conservation Act of 1991 are critical things that need urgent attention.

Despite these challenges, Dr Rodriguez-Moodie remains steadfast in her commitment to environmental advocacy, driven by the desire to make a meaningful impact on Jamaica’s environmental landscape. She emphasises that development and environmental protection can go hand in hand, resulting in a harmonious relationship that benefits both people and the economy.

A quarter century ago, Jamaicans were not enthusiastic about the word environment, nor those referred to as environmentalists. In fact, the word was more popular with secondary and tertiary students studying general and physical geography, and among those at the graduate levels. But as real-time environmental disasters began to unfold before our eyes, as local communities began to feel the impact of natural and man-made incidents resulting in disasters, the word became more acceptable, though still hard to swallow by those who call them “tree huggers” and anti-development. All this time, the so-called bleeding hearts were highlighting dangers posed on the world, by other parts of the world.

“I think we are being heard in some ways. I wouldn’t have been around when JET started in 1991, but Diana [McCaulay] told me then, that if you said the word environment, or climate change, they probably would laugh you away. And they probably did. She has been called many different names, and now, how many years later when I joined JET in 2021, a different landscape of course, but you see some of the same things. The same things JET has been advocating for years are still there. But, I think we have come a far way, because I think people have a greater appreciation and understanding of the environment and where we want things to be. But I think people are not laughing you off, anymore…,” she explained.

With a greater appreciation for climate change, it is why groups like JET are viewed as anti-development and are seen as tree huggers. She dismissed the view.

“It is just a false narrative. Just because I want to see the protection of Jamaica’s natural resources; just because I want a healthy environment, that can’t make me anti-development. It should not make you anti-development. What it means is that what we are trying to, what we have been advocating for, is that when you look at development, it cannot be this or that. It cannot be that we want these hotels, so you know, something has to give…,” Rodriguez-Moodie stated.

People, she said, must be at the centre of development and not come in at the back end, as is often the case from the evidence she has seen. For many, she said, development is about modern structures, but it cannot be the sole lens through which it is seen. High-rise buildings, without clean air, improper drainage systems which result in flooding, and unhealthy people living in poverty cannot be development, she posited.

Development, she said, cannot be framed strictly as gross domestic product or economic benefit while ignoring the other branches that form the whole. For her, Jamaicans have a right to a healthy environment and clean air, proactive disclosures for the environment which should be readily available.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com