Experts employed by the environmental groups that want Disney Cruise Line (DCL) to revamp its Lighthouse Point project on Eleuthera claimed on Thursday that Disney’s more than 500-page environmental impact assessment (EIA) does not meet US and international standards as a comprehensive document, further claiming that the document goes against Disney’s own corporate sustainability goals.
Former General Counsel at the US President’s Council on Environmental Quality Dinah Bear, who was the first to present during the Stop Disney – Last Chance for Lighthouse Point campaign’s first extended public consultation last Thursday, said Disney would have never presented the kind of EIA it did to the Bahamian government to any US authority for approval.
“This document suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of EIA,” said Bear.
“The purpose is not to document the impacts of a decision that has already been made and suggest a bit of mitigation. Rather, the highest purpose of an EIA is to evaluate the environmental and related social and economics impacts of a proposed action and alternatives to inform decision-making.
“As it stands, the document does not conform to international and US standards for EIA.”
The public consultation’s second speaker, Gregory Miller, who is the executive director of the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), agreed that the EIA does not meet international standards and also said the EIA is inconsistent with Disney’s own sustainability goals.
“The high tourism density proposed by Disney conflicts with their corporate sustainability goals and is a recipe for degradation and overtourism at Lighthouse Point,” Miller said.
“Without significant modifications, it is likely that the activities outlined in the draft EIA could trigger intense ecological pressure with myriad negative impacts.”
Miller contends that Disney’s EIA is incomplete without the company’s environmental management plan (EMP).
In a document summarizing CREST’s findings on the EIA, it presents the opinion that Disney should have gone further in the document in explaining alternative options and even no-build options.
“Lighthouse Point (LHP) is a fragile, nature-rich location, with proximity to a proposed marine protected area (MPA),” CREST’s document reads.
“However, LHP is now threatened by damaging impacts from mass tourism activities proposed in the EIA. CREST is concerned that DCL has not adequately explained the process, criteria and overall results of the alternative location analysis.
“Consideration of alternative plans was an explicit requirement in the final draft of the 2020 EIA regulations. We believe that Disney should be guided by global best destination selection and management practices and re-examine alternative options including a more altered or degraded location, a land-based, low-impact option, and a no-development option.
“Best management practices are expected standard practice by an international brand of such high prestige as the Disney company which, in turn, should guide DCL away from the mass tourism and amusement park approach proposed in the draft EIA.”
Disney held its own public consultation meeting earlier this month, as it is required to do, which was hosted and overseen by the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection.
In a press statement on that meeting, Disney said it met with myriad local experts and environmentalists in preparing its EIA. Disney’s Vice President of Animals, Science and the Environment Dr. Mark Penning said the company has worked hard to create a sustainable plan for the Lighthouse Point site given the area’s environmental sensitivities.
“Lighthouse Point is a special place and we wholeheartedly agree that it needs to be protected. This is why we have been thorough in our environmental assessment and have worked diligently to create a plan that is based on science and facts and will preserve the site’s marine and terrestrial biodiversity,” said Penning.
“Last night’s input builds on the more than three years we have spent talking to stakeholders throughout The Bahamas and we will incorporate the feedback into the EIA.”
The Stop Disney campaign invited both the government and Disney to its virtual consultation meeting last Thursday. While it is not known if a representative of the government was present, Disney said in a letter addressed to ReEarth head Sam Duncombe that it would not attend the environmentalists’ consultation meeting.
The letter, which was penned by DCL’s Vice President of Public Affairs Kim Prunty and seen by Guardian Business, explained to Duncombe that given that Disney had already met with her associated environmentalist groups and representatives on several occasions and did not have favorable engagements with them, they chose not to attend.
“Regrettably, given the way you and your colleagues have chosen to engage with us up to this point, we have no reason to believe that the April 15 meeting will result in a reasonable or productive discussion,” Prunty’s letter stated.
“Therefore, we have made the decision not to attend. We will continue to follow all laws and regulations of The Bahamas, which includes a 14-day notice prior to the public meeting, which we provided, as well as a 21-day period following the public meeting for the public to submit questions and comments regarding the EIA.”
Prunty said DCL will look forward to receiving Duncombe’s groups’ findings and comments about the Lighthouse Point EIA by May 7, as is their prerogative by law to submit.
The Stop Disney campaign’s first meeting attracted about 100 participants. The group plans to have its second meeting on April 22.
The post Disney EIA criticized at environmental groups consultation appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/disney-eia-criticized-at-environmental-groups-consultation/
No comments:
Post a Comment