Red Dirt: A Multidisciplinary Review of the Bauxite-Alumina Industry in Jamaica

Tomorrow, ELAW partners at the Jamaica Environment Trust will host a public forum on the ground-breaking findings of: “Red Dirt: A Multidisciplinary Review of the Bauxite-Alumina Industry in Jamaica.”
 
Tune in by visiting JET’s YouTube channel on Thursday, January 14th, 1-2:30 pm EST.

This eye-opening publication takes a hard look at mining operations that have devastated Jamaican communities and landscapes since the 1950s.
 
“We have responded to concerns all over the island, for years, regarding the impacts of bauxite mining on health, quality of life, and small farmer livelihoods,” says JET Founder and Director Diana McCaulay.
JET collaborated with ELAW on the publication, and contracted with experts in public health, ecology, economics, and more to author chapters. Together, they reveal the bauxite-alumina industry’s history, regulatory framework, and economic, public health, social, and ecological impacts.
 
Cockpit Country, Jamaica’s largest remaining natural forest and home to the Maroons, is of key concern. JET’s Save Cockpit Country campaign is urging government to rethink issuing mining concessions within or near the proposed protected area, threatening rivers, streams, springs, upwellings, glades, and ponds which supply 40% of Western Jamaica’s fresh water.
 
Listen in tomorrow and see how civil society in Jamaica is working to protect future generations from the legacy of the polluting bauxite-alumina industry.

 

Maggie Keenan
Communications Director
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide