Jamaica Salt

I watched the film Blood Diamond this weekend, about the bloody trade of diamonds from Sierra Leone.  Great it was, Leonardo di Caprio was fantastic in it.  Love him and this is the best way to show what is going on in with conflict diamonds. 

The fact that a rich natural resource can be a curse on a country has rung true everywhere – whether it’s oil in Nigeria, cobalt in Congo or in fact bauxite in Jamaica.

Came across this article in the Observer about what mining this aluminium ore, has cost Jamaica.  Bauxite – which makes the earth in some parts of Jamaica that distinctive red colour, has indeed cost Jamaica dearly.   The title of this blog post comes from the Richie Spice reggae track .

In terms of environmental degradation, the loss of villages and communities, health, the list goes on.

John Maxwell a dogged environmentalist campaigner, argues that bauxite mines need to be closed down with immediate effect,  as the situtation is reaching dangerous proportions, but perhaps the damage has already been done?