This course has revolutionized my view of Bermuda. I had visited
Bermuda on a cruise once before, and viewed the island as the
tropical paradise that the government wants tourists to view the
island as. While not perilous yet, Bermuda is in a less than ideal
situation. Bermuda’s greatest strength is also its greatest
weakness. It is a small, isolated island in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean. There is not much land area to support an
increasing population. Its limited amount of resources forces it to
import nearly all of its supplies. Fresh water availability depends
on rainfall. The continuous introduction of invasive alien species
have often destroyed native species and introduced new problems to
the island. The Waste to Energy Plant commits acts that require
further study and could easily be harming the environment. BELCo is
too often on the brink of shutdown, which is dangerous for the only
power plant on the island. The Airport Waste Management Facility is
taking over Castle Harbor, with trash often leaving the dump,
floating into the ocean. Deformities have begun to appear in
species on the island.
The average Bermudian does not care enough about the environment
considering the severity of the problem. Private boats occasionally
damage sea life while discarded supplies sometimes do the same. Too
many vehicles are driven and too much waste is produced for the
amount of people living in Bermuda.
The Bermudian government has been shown to have a history of making
its island more of a tourist attraction, sometimes at the expense
of its residents. More funds should be allocated to provide for
natives. Ideas such as the BELCo demo cottage should be expanded
and made affordable for the native Bermudian. Laws that are often
flouted need to be enforced to insure the future success of the
island. On such a small amount of land, a sustainable development
initiative should be implemented to benefit future generations. If
Bermudians look ahead towards the future, perhaps they will think
twice about the waste they produce and what they do with it.