Save the Bay of Ancón/Salvemos la Bahía de Ancón

We all talk about the environment and the importance of climate change. Whereas in other parts of the world societies and businesses are shifting their mainframes to save the world, investing billions of dollars in producing sustainable green economies, it is pitiful to accept that some lucrative short-sighted Peruvian firms, disassociated from current global trends, are trying to set up ports in specific (geographically naturally-habited) locations just to save operational costs of producing it somewhere elsewhere.

We do not condemn the fact that they are looking to reduce costs, in fact every businesses is in their own right to reduce costs in order to maximize efficiency. What we strongly disagree, is the lack of foresight to the negative externalities that will happen decades our time and the exponential costs incurred. Let’s use current trends and facts, shall we?

During the last two months of the year 2011, one of the highest amounts of UV radiation has been recorded in the history of Lima, reaching quantities that belong to level 15.

De acuerdo con los pronósticos oficiales, hoy, mañana y el próximo lunes se registrarán radiaciones del nivel 14, considerado "muy alto". (19 Febrero 2011)

According to the official prognostics, today, tomorrow and next Monday, radiation levels will reach level 14 in UV scale, considered of “very high” intensity.

El reporte de hoy señala que la capital registrará un nivel 15 de radiación ultravioleta, lo que en la escala manejada por el Senamhi significa un nivel “extremo”. ( 24 Febrero 2011)

The report concludes that in the capital of Lima, level 15 UV radiations will be registered during this day, which signifies “extreme” ultra-violet intensity.
Concerned? You should be. There is a high correlation between UV rays and Cancer. I wonder who will pay for the consequences to the society; not now, but in 20 or 30 years. What will the UV concentrations be like in 20 years if we continue to damage the environment as we’ve done it during the last decade? The construction of the port will eventually alter the environment, not only contaminating the sea but the sky itself. I wonder what will happen with potential oil spills, material used to clean and calibrate the ships, or materials used to move and operate the machines, the burned wastage and the emission of gasses with solar rays acting upon them.

Not only will it damage maritime species, but it will also reduce the natural counter-force that we have, and that the environment provides to counteract the impact of pollution, which helps reduce CO2 concentrations and which animals help to transform toxic waste into less damaging compounds.

I wonder if the people that are managing the Romero firm would like to see their children suffering from skin cancer, solar wounds, or witness the inability of their own children to play in the sun or breathe normal air, without respiring toxic elements. I wonder if they are going to be as “determined” to help revert the situation and invest in the matter to reduce those costs… or will they act in the same way, status quo, concentrating their efforts in minimizing operational costs, shifting to new locations free of taxes (used to attend social care and national health insurance), to increase profits? Are they going to leave the problems so that the state and society deal with them? Is it ethical? I don’t think so.

Let me ask one last question, IF, ceteris paribus, the port was to provide thousands of jobs to people, what would happen to the choice of future generations? What about their ability to decide upon the matter? What about their choice? There would be no choice as it would take thousands of years to revert the harmful consequences of building a port in a natural environment. In the long run (their long-run), they would be dead. Dead before they could be able to see any changes, just because of lucrative firms “trying” to “minimize” operational costs.

Please, help us by signing the following petition in order to prevent a massive port from being built in one of the world’s most beautiful natural environments.