The island of San
Miguel De Cozumel, which
lies off the Yucatan peninsula,
is up in arms against a proposed 550 m pier for cruise
liners near its famous
Paradise reef. The reef is
home to thousands of
colourful sea creatures and a
diving treat for committed
scuba divers. The new project "is paving Paradise to
put up a parking lot for
cruise ships", fumes Bob
Sterner, a scuba diver.
Interestingly, the pier has the
backing of the Mexican
government.
Angry Cozumel greens
have lodged an official complaint with the North
American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) Commission
for Environmental Cooperation and have accused the
Mexican government of having sidestepped its own laws
which require that extensive
environmental studies have
to be carried out for any new
project. But for Cozumel
inhabitants, it could be a losing battle as the Commission
does not have the powers to
curtail new developments,
eco-friendly or not.
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