Contributing Author Dickson Igwe
A series of articles on British Virgin Islands air and sea port development looks at the renewable energy future
A ‘Source’ for this Village Square Thinker, on the afternoon of April 3, 2012, at the Road Town Public Library, told of a major yacht and marina owner on the island who was ecstatic at the prospect of long distance commercial type flights landing at Terrance B Lettsome International Airport, Beef Island. Large planes flying in from Europe and elsewhere, in the near future. The businessman owns one of the largest marinas, dry-docks, and yacht moorings in the Jurisdiction: enough said!
Apparently, the Marine Entrepreneur has firsthand knowledge of a global yachting and boating jet set: sports lovers, pleasure seekers and adventurers, more than happy to grace the yachting capital of the world, but even more so, were there to be greater ease of access into the country via direct flights from key European capitals. This businessman further asserted that in the past, he had lost much business owing to travelers frustrated at the ‘hindrances’ in getting into the British Virgin Islands.
Now, on an opposite note, a young, dear and lovely daughter of these Virgin Islands confronted this plane chaser with the assertion just the other day that he has gone overboard with this airport expansion thing. Her exact words: ‘’ Mr. Igwe when will you stop these commentaries on developing the airport, and talk instead about more important matters, such as the need for a proper hospital, fixing the pot holes in the roads, building a better drainage and sewage system, issues with law and order, and the like? The airport should not be a priority at this time Mr. Igwe, the country has more pressing concerns.’’
Coming from this very bright and elegant lady was a punch in the gut. But this Writer quickly gathered his composure, even momentum, then looked her in the eye, but in deep thought over her sudden and cutting statement. Knowing her keen political intelligence, he was actually tempted to throw in the towel on the matter. But alas, that quiet voice from deep within spoke, and in time. It told him that he was right, and she was wrong on this one. So yours truly smiled, and he knew there and then, a story had been birthed. His fingers were strumming!
Now, what that quiet voice said was this: development is an integrated concept. Building a 21st century airport and seaport dynamic, or a state of the art hospital, and improving the road network are all mutually inclusive ideas: that is, they fit perfectly together. The airport that receives flights and travelers from all over the world is complimentary to the completion of a critical hospital facility should the unthinkable happen, and vice versa, and both are dependent upon an efficient road network and public transportation dynamic, including a new ferry shuttle infrastructure with a 24 hour, 7 days a week type scheduling, plugging the country into the USA’s critical travel facilities on St. Thomas and even Puerto Rico.
And yes, hotel and guest house owners had better start thinking about building more rooms, and increasing their capacity for a major increase in visitors and guests visiting these Antilles from all over the world, especially when they start to fly in directly from the world’s capitals and major population centers. Add a significant increase in entries from the United States Virgin Islands when the new West End sea dock is completed, and a brand new entry dynamic created on the western end of Tortola.
The integrated development concept demands doing several things at the same time, and further spells a continuation of dealing with the sewage crisis, building a state of the art cruise ship village and reception facility as recently proposed, and developing the social and physical infrastructure into a much more robust dynamic. Yes cost considerations are paramount, but if intelligently managed, money will be available over the coming years for the crucial development needed to allow these islands in the sun to compete at a global level and enter the 21st Century with its head held high.
Photo courtesy amaresearch.co.uk
A new integrated development model for these Treasure Islands means building into the development equation a green technology paradigm; add a renewable and clean energy national apparatus, buttressed by a global education model oriented towards the linguistic and advanced sciences, and the new math that can create products in a sub atomic type dynamic, the modern calculus, physics and algebra, that delves into the mysteries of the atom for peaceful and technological purposes, greatly increasing the quality and standard of life for all.
On a related matter, and a man yours truly greatly admires, A US Citizen named Mr. Warren Buffet, ASA ‘’the Oracle of Omaha,’’ and the greatest investor the world has ever known, put it this way in an article of April 2, 2012, in the Bloomberg global business news media, titled, ‘’ Buffett says shortcuts on environment can risk profits.’’
The second richest man in the USA determined that ‘’ companies won’t last if they fail to consider the impact of their businesses on the environment. Taking shortcuts is not the pathway to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, nor is it an avenue toward satisfying customers.’’ For Warren Buffett, the key ingredients of business profitability in a new world increasingly driven by green economics and clean renewable energy are ‘’ people, communities, and the environment.’’ This coming out of the mouth of a ‘super capitalist’ was an incredible thing.
Buffet, a man to always watch is betting on ‘’ railroads and renewable energy,’’ driving the US economic future, and he believes that ‘’ demand will climb for products and services that are less harmful to the planet.’’
Back to the issue of an integral development model for these Virgin Antilles, and this Lay Conservationist had the enormous pleasure of meeting with a renewable energy expert recently. Speaking with this man who possessed a clearly encyclopedic knowledge of things green and renewable was certainly an eye opener. It also confirmed a belief that the British Virgin Islands, a country that is totally dependent upon imported fossil fuels for its energy needs, with an unhealthy love for the motor car, and an environmentally unfriendly system of waste disposal, if it is to proceed to the next stage in its development, will have to transform into a green economy, and very swiftly indeed.
An Honorable Minister of the Virgin Islands, just the other day, spoke about a new out of the box thinking necessary, if certain developmental goals are to be realized, especially with regard to a new renewable energy dynamic in these Virgin Islands.
What does he mean? Well this ‘Wannabe Eco Warrior’ will attempt to make that determination. It means a new public discussion on the green and renewable energy future with radical thinking, radical solutions, and even painful decisions for this community. A national rendition that is necessary, in order to move the country into the bold new world of green, of a transformation to a new era of an environment friendly economics in the coming decades that will mean privatization of large swathes of the public sector in the Virgin Islands; the introduction of a new private enterprise and laissez faire business culture into a national modus vivendi that has looked to government as the be all and end all in past decades.
It will entail the liberalization, and even full privatization, of electrical generation and energy production on a national scale, while encouraging through government incentives and private investment, new green businesses in the areas of waste and sewage conversion into usable energy, the conversion of human waste into fertilizers for solar powered green houses and farms at Parquita Bay and the rest of the country, environment friendly waste disposal, add new legislation enabling large businesses to install solar, wind, and co generation technologies on their premises.
Add a radical overhaul of the electricity grid, allowing consumers choice and control over their energy provision requirements, and using renewable energies such as solar and wind to power a significant proportion of the national energy requirement, and government owned and managed assets, including street lighting, a new expanded airport facility, the hospital, the college, schools, sea ports, government agricultural projects, and so on, and so forth.
A new culture of green in the coming decades will mean public and private investment in renewable energy systems on Tortola, Anegada, Jost van Dyke, and Virgin Gorda. Personal habits of Virgin Islanders and residents will have to change and improve in relation to the preservation of scarce water, waste recycling, and household energy conservation. This will entail such things as the encouragement of shopping with reusable bags, banning certain plastic and environmentally harmful products from the consumer chain altogether. Add the introduction of a public transportation modus operandi that in the coming years may see electric buses, safaris, taxis, and even ferries, using a mix of electricity, solar, and biofuels, such as ethanol.
Then the creation of a greater pedestrian oriented town and city dynamic, with large swathes of Road Town off limits to motorists, with only the most essential transport allowed into the inner perimeter of the capital, the list appears endless.
Yes, the escalator into the green future has been switched on: the country either steps on, or gets left behind.
To be continued
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