GIBRALTAR'S ECOLOGY - THE REFORM PARTY APPROACH

INTRODUCTION

The basic attitude of the Reform Party to Gibraltar's environment is that it is one of the most fundamental aspects we can consider. This means that we regard sound and sustainable environment practices as not only desirable for our society but essential for its long term survival. In fact, it would be

more appropriate to describe our attitude as ecological rather than environmentalist because the former implies a more holistic approach to the whole question to how humans interact with the physical world around them.

Hopefully they will do so in such a way as to contribute towards a beneficial balance with their surroundings over the long term.

Ecology, to us, therefore means the whole range of interconnected systems which include housing, transport, pollution control, renewable energy, public health, recycling and re-use and indeed horticultural and agricultural matters too, however secondary some might regard these latter items for Gibraltar.

Of course, these matters cannot be looked at for Gibraltar alone in isolation. The environment does not recognise or respect international frontiers. Therefore, here in Gibraltar we are part of and deeply affected by the whole range of climatic, topographical, industrial, marine and other systems which operate in the areas which surround the Rock. This includes not just the immediate Campo area but also Southern Iberia, Northwest Africa and the tidal and wind systems of the eastern Atlantic and Western Mediterranean. However, while aware of the dangers of a too introspective attitude to Gibraltar's ecology the Reform Party recognises political realities. We therefore address most directly in this document the issues we believe are most urgent for Gibraltar and which can be addressed most effectively by Gibraltar, either alone in terms of our immediate territory or in conjunction with like-minded others across the border in terms of the Bay area as a whole.

As summarised in our General Election Manifesto there are several key areas where we feel the approach to Gibraltar's healthy sustainability needs serious improvement.. Limited space in that document precluded the fuller explanation which we would have liked to have presented. However, we did invite interested readers who so wished, to contact us for a more detailed explanation of our policies and indeed we did seek to project this during the radio, TV, newspaper and public oral pronouncements of our candidate in this election. We are also pleased to list here our main concerns and remedies for specific aspects.

ADMINISTRATION

We believe that an autonomous regulatory authority should exist to oversee and monitor the whole spectrum of environmental and ecological matters in Gibraltar. The organisation should be headed by an environmental Ombudsman and be independent as far as possible of undue influences by vested interests in Gibraltar.

POLLUTION

This remains a serious problem for us all. In particular, though, it has disproportionately harmful effects on those who are very young or old. Pollution has two sources a) internal and b) external. Internal pollution mainly emanates from motor traffic congestion and unhealthy emissions from power stations. Noise pollution as well as that affecting the actual air is a long standing associated problem. Our solutions to these recognise the complex nature of the situation in small, overcrowded Gibraltar. While realising our need for a reliable electricity supply this does not mean that every demand for it is necessary or justifiable. Some of it is unnecessary and unrestricted growth of supply has obvious pollution implications. The right to accessibility to power is relative rather than absolute and social effects must be balanced with personal desires in this area of life as in others. As regards transport we would seek a significant reduction in motor traffic in Gibraltar facilitated by a cleaner more reliable integrated public transport system. It may be necessary to set firm limits on, for instance, the number of motor vehicles an individual, household or company may own and indeed the extent to which they or indeed foreign visitors can operate them in our territory. External pollution emanates mainly from Acerinox, the Refinery complex and shipping leakage. We welcome the recent tentative steps in the direction of air quality monitoring by authorities in both the Campo Area and Gibraltar, However, we regard the moves as inadequate and (in the case of the Campo) of very limited value as they provide only generalised, averaged data. We very much approve of the 'bucket brigade' testing initiatives proposed by both Denny Larson on the one hand and our own ESG on the other. We would also seek closer monitoring of all marine aspects.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

In the view of the Reform Party, Gibraltar must do far more to investigate and hopefully employ alternative sources of energy from the traditional oil burning ones. We ourselves have investigated the options for a society of this size and doing so are grateful for the ideas, inspiration and information of organisations we respect such as the Environmental Safety Group and Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society as well as many other individuals in Gibraltar. We believe a significant proportion of our energy needs could and should be met eventually by solar panel energy and tidal generators. We are also interested in wind generation but accept the reservations of GOHNS about the adverse effects on bird migration patterns. We would be totally opposed to any form of nuclear power in Gibraltar. The operational and waste disposal dangers are simply too great.

RE-CYCLING AND RE-USE

A great deal of our valuable and re-usable waste material is buried in a landfill site in Spain or in the past was burnt in our incinerator. Both these options do not contribute to long term sustainability and conservation. They are fundamentally wasteful ways of dealing with finite resources. Gibraltar should re-use and re-cycle whenever possible far more of such waste products as paper, glass, ferrous metals and the like. However, when possible, re-using an item is better than re-cycling it. The latter term implies a breaking down process into raw materials again and the subsequent re-manufacturing, both of which have energy and pollution implications. We would strongly propose that this aspect of Gibraltar's environment forms a major priority for the new regulatory authority

ISSUES OF PUBLIC SAFETY

The totally inadequate GIBPUBSAFE safety plan reads in parts like something from an old Monty Python sketch. We need a totally new and updated plan for which the expertise and ability is already present in Gibraltar. Obviously no plan could ever alleviate a total disaster for Gibraltar but at least more of our people could be saved in such an event with a proper plan worthy of the name. Our concerns for public safety also lead to an attitude about nuclear power and weapons which some in Gibraltar share but many do not, even many pro-environmentalist people. Our opposition to nuclear power and weapons means that we would like to see Gibraltar as a totally nuclear free zone and this must inevitably include visits from warships that have atomic power or arms. We realise this is a matter of general Whitehall policy but bearing in mind our aim for Devolved Integration we would also seek nuclear disarmament and safe power in the wider British context, once Anglo-Gibraltarian union has been achieved. Many people in Gibraltar opposed the presence here of HMS Tireless. They also accepted the experts' later view that such presence was no more dangerous than a recreational visit from an undamaged vessel. Yet these people continue to oppose the former but accept the latter. We do not. Consequently we would work for the eventual establishment of the nuclear free zone and invite others to work with us to that end.

CONCLUSION

None of the aspects we have outlined above can be dealt with or implemented in isolation. That is why the Reform Party has always emphasised so strongly the all-embracing nature of ecology and the way in which everything is ultimately connected. All such policies are inter-linked. Education in the broadest sense is obviously vital. Public awareness from the earliest possible age is imperative. The vital requirement of our long term sustainable future implies a massive and widespread programme of information and understanding-fostering in schools and in the wider community. Only in this way will the prospects for Gibraltar's environmental survival be underpinned and the chances for success maximised. We are pleased to see the raised profile of these imperative matters in our society in recent years. However, much more needs to be done and hopefully this General Election will provide a springboard for that.

THE REFORM PARTY