Dr. Michael O'Neal, IRF Senior Research Fellow

Dr. Michael O’Neal is Senior Research Fellow at Island Resources Foundation and former President of H. Lavity Stoutt Community College at in the British Virgin Islands. Dr. O’Neal’s monograph on Virgin Islands social history, entitled Slavery, Smallholding and Tourism: Social Transformations in the British Virgin Islands, has just been published and is available online now from Amazon and Barnes & Noble in both paperback and hardcover print editions, as well as in eBook format on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iBook/iTunes readers.

The URL to order soft or hardcopy versions of the book are:

http://www.amazon.com/Slavery-Smallholding-Tourism-Transformations-British/dp/1610271181

at Amazon, or the following to order from Barnes and Noble on line:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slavery-smallholding-and-tourism-michael-e-oneal/1038909937

Dr. O’Neal’s book is published by Quid Pro Books, an independent academic imprint, Alan Childress, Conrad Meyer III Professor of Law at Tulane University, publisher.

The publisher’s webpage says, “Slavery, Smallholding and Tourism explores the political economy of development in the British Virgin Islands­­—from plantations, through the evolution of a smallholding economy, to the rise of tourism.”

“The study argues that the demise of plantation economy in the BVI ushered in a century of imperial disinterest persisting until recently, when a new ‘monocrop’—tourism—became ascendant.

“Using an historical and anthropological approach, O’Neal shows how the trend toward reliance on tourism and other dependent industries affects many BVIslanders—called the ‘Belongers’—in ways that echo their historical and economic heritage,” continues the webpage.

Quid Pro Books (QP) are the publishers of the digital editions of Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review and Yale Law Journal and specialize in the publication of books on law, legal history, and law and society. Dr. O’Neal’s volume articulated with their publishing interests in part because of the extensive use of court trial records in his treatment of the plantation era.

Part of the Classic Dissertation Series from Quid Pro, the book adds a new Foreword by Vassar College’s Prof. Colleen Ballerino Cohen, who describes Dr. O’Neal’s work as a “pioneering and important book”, and additional commentary by University of California-Irvine’s Prof. Bill Maurer, who shows how even the emergence of a financial services industry may be understood through the insights that Dr. O’Neal presents in his study.

The former HLSCC president is currently Senior Research Fellow at Island Resources Foundation, an organization with offices in Washington, D.C. and the Caribbean, whose central mission is to assist small islands to meet the challenges of social, economic and institutional growth while protecting and enhancing their environments

Dr. O’Neal is also a director of JOMA Ltd., a family-owned real estate management and development company in the British Virgin Islands.

Further details on the book may be found at the publisher’s website (http://quidprolaw.com/?p=2189). A book launch will be held at the College in due course and further information will be provided when a date has been set.

Here’s the version in plain English and plain text — many smart comments at the web page link below.

Science & Environment

 11 January 2012 Last updated at 09:06 ET

Article written by Richard Black Environment correspondent

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Rio looks to the future

Comments (26)

What might the Rio+20 summit deliver?

We have a little more idea now, following publication of the “zero draft” outcome document for the June summit.

It’s been compiled by the chairs of the preparatory process, following a huge amount of dialogue and input from governments and other interested parties.

But with much more dialogue due, a lot can change between now and then.

This Rio summit, like the last one 20 years ago, isn’t part of the UN negotiations on climate change or biodiversity or desertification or anything else.

It’s bigger than that. It’s a chance for world leaders to take a long view of where the global society is heading, and whether they’re happy with that.

If they’re not – and there’s a welter of evidence showing that we’re doing a pretty poor job of looking after the liveable bits of Planet Earth, let alone many of its inhabitants – it’s a chance to agree some new principles.

At its most basic, the zero draft is basically a set of ingredients for changing direction onto a new sustainable course.

If environmental decline is a major driver, others are the lack of resilience in the global economy shown up by the current extended financial crisis, and the continuing lack of development in the world’s poorest countries.

So – what might the Rio+20 summit deliver?

The zero draft sets out principles of universal access to the essentials – food, water and energy.

A major goal is “to free humanity from hunger and want through the eradication of all forms of poverty and strive for societies which are just, equitable and inclusive, for economic stability and growth that benefits all”.

In order to provide “proper nutrition” for all, it calls for “sustainable intensification of food production” – expanding the food supply without expanding the amount of land, water and other resources needed.

Another goal is to provide “universal access to a basic minimum level of modern energy services” by 2030.

And to make that sustainable from an environmental perspective, the proportion of energy coming from renewable sources should double by the same date.

One of the routes to achieving these aims would be to phase out “market distorting and environmentally harmful subsidies that impede the transition to sustainable development, including those on fossil fuels, agriculture and fisheries…”

These various strands would come together in a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Precisely what they would contain isn’t specified. They’d be agreed by 2015, when most of the existing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire, and would carry target dates of 2030.

To help developing countries, the rich should supply “new, additional and scaled-up financing”, as well as making good on their existing commitments.

In the context of the current economic difficulties, it’s worth taking a couple of paragraphs out to look back 10 years to the meeting in Mexico that spawned the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development.

The bit that most people would remember would be the re-affirmation that developed nations should commit 0.7% of their GDP to overseas development assistance.

Less familiar, perhaps, are the bits committing governments to economic policies that produce full employment, price stability and the “orderly development” of capital markets.

Some way to go on those, you might observe.

By raising these issues, the Monterrey Consensus hints at the fact that there’s more to a country’s health than simple GDP.

And that’s given explicit form in the Rio+20 draft, which would see governments agreeing “to further develop and strengthen indicators complementing GDP that integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions in a balanced manner”.

Many of these ideas are already finding form in various countries, often in the basket marked “green growth” or the “green economy”.

The zero draft recognises that although each government will make its own decisions, there are ways in which global co-operation can speed progress.

So some kind of international “toolbox” will be developed, containing ideas that have worked in different parts of the world.

The private sector would be expected to play a prominent role, under “a global policy framework requiring all listed and large private companies to consider sustainability issues and to integrate sustainability information within the reporting cycle”.

If that might sound like a business straitjacket, it’s worth noting that a number of big companies are actively lobbying for such a thing.

On the straight environmental side, there’s to be extra help for developing countries in dealing with waste, notably electronic waste

Marine issues feature, with a call for “a global action plan to combat marine litter and pollution”, including materials such as plastics whose impact was documented so vividly by my colleague David Shukman a few years back.

Ocean acidification would be monitored and tackled, and governments urged to meet existing commitments on reducing over-fishing.

The influence of the UN Environment Programme would be enhanced by upgrading it in a way that’s yet to be finalised.

One of the most eye-catching ideas is “an Ombudsperson, or High Commissioner, for Future Generations”.

The document doesn’t call for such a person, but for “further consideration” of the idea. That’ll disappoint some – but still, it’s on the agenda.

The reason why it’s there goes to the heart of what sustainable development is and why it matters.

The simple Brundtland Commission definition – “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” – carries the pretty obvious implication that future generations are important.

But who’s there to argue for them? Clearly they can’t do it for themselves – so why not have part of the UN system empowered and enabled to do it on their behalf?

This is only a “zero draft” document, and you have to presume that the wording will change quite a bit over the months to the summit, as governments and civil society groups and businesses digest what it all implies.

But you also have to presume that at least some of it will survive.

Your comments (26)

Article written by Richard Black Richard Black Environment correspondent

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@BBCRBlack via Twitter

BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

For other details see the announcement at the address below.

2011_McFarlane_Nomination_Announcement

Copies of Annual Reports for previous years can be reviewed at http://www.irf.org/about/annualreports.php

Click here to access a PDF version of the 2009 Annual Report for down loading.

http://cep.unep.org/pubs/Techreports/tr42en/

Special price for the set of nine books, is $300, plus $30 shipping, payment in advance. Check with Judith Towle for special pricing for reference collections open to the public.

You can order it on-line from the new “SHOP” link on the historical society web site.

An added treat in this month’s (Feb 2010) edition of the newsletter is Eleanor Gibney’s account on page four about the remarkable artist and naturalist “Robert H. Schomburgk, the Artist Responsible for the Cover Image” of the book.

Copies of the 75 megabyte Powerpoint presentation can be downloaded at

http://ftp.grida.no/poussart/Steph/

The somewhat surprising conclusions of this analysis of the historic record were (adapted and emphasis added):

• There is a poor understanding of the relationship between sea-level rise and shoreline response in our South Pacific region but Bruun (1963) does not appear appropriate in the case of Pacific Atoll coasts.

• Despite the rates of sea-level rise thus-far experienced, the atoll shores so far studied tell a story of considerable stability and the majority have net trends of accretion or growth at this time

• The broad assumptions regarding widespread erosion due to sea level rise are for the coastal manager unhelpful and may divert attention from appropriate management responses and with regards to Climate Change, risks mal-adaptation.

• Stress such as possible changes in wave climate, storm frequency, reef productivity / structure (bleaching, acidification, energy window) may ultimately be more important drivers of climate change related impacts on tropical “coral” coasts than sea level rise.

This presentation is a valuable demonstration of the dangers inherent in the small islands’ over-reliance on sea-level rise as the overwhelmingly important consequence of climate change . . . for myself, in the Caribbean I think the issues are much more related to the inability to recover vital ecosystem services from already compromised coastal and near shore ecoregions, especially if the rising sea levels simply result in new shorelines that are hardened by anthropogenic structures such as roads, sea walls, buildings and other structures.

—– Forwarded Message —-
From: Susan Zaluski
To:
Sent: Wed, January 20, 2010 4:04:24 PM
Subject: Jost Van Dyke, BVI January 2010 Newsletter and Environmental Profile

Dear All:
Firstly, my apologies if you are receiving this e-mail for a 2nd time! We’ve been having some issues with our email system.

Attached please find our January 2010 edition of the JVD Green Newsletter, which chronicles “Jost Van Dyke’s Community-based Programme Advancing Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development” funded by the UK’s Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP).

As you’ll notice from reading the newsletter, project partner, Island Resources Foundation (IRF) delivered the completed copies of the Environmental Profile to Jost Van Dyke in late 2009. You can read this comprehensive document, which provides a synthesis of the current state of the environment for Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands (including information on history and culture of the island). You can view it online at http://www.jvdgreen.org/Final_Profile.html .

Finally, a belated Happy 2010 to you and yours from all of us on Jost Van Dyke!

Susan Zaluski
Director
Jost Van Dykes Preservation Society
Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke VG1160
(284)540-0861
susan@jvdps.org
www.jvdps.org

Dear Dr. Wheatley:

On behalf of myself and the Board of Trustees and staff of Island Resources Foundation, I take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation for the renaming of the former IRF library in honour and memory of my late husband, Dr. Edward L. Towle, and for the dedication/renaming ceremony held at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on 12^th January.

It was an honor to be seated between two former presidents—Dr. O’Neal and yourself—to listen to the tributes to Edward and the history of IRF’s collaboration with the College; to hear from three distinguished HLSCC presidents; to learn more about the place of the Collection within the institution’s strategic planning; and to be surprised by Noni Georges’s depiction of her online discovery of the IRF library resources whilst this native daughter of the BVI was studying at a
faraway Canadian university.

Ms. Bernadine Louis, in her expert handling of the moderator’s duties, and then, along with members of her Learning Resource Centre staff, in the tour she organised of the Collection’s facility, added so much to the morning’s dedication, as did the remarks of Mrs. Eugenie
Glasgow, former Director of the LRC.  The musical contribution by student Jareem Williams and the always artfully and tastefully executed contributions from the College’s Culinary Arts staff all served to make what was for me one of my happiest days since my husband’s passing now more than three years ago.

Ed treasured his association with the British Virgin Islands and, in particular, with the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.  It was an honour for him to serve on the governing board of the College, and he certainly was proudest of the final home the library collection found at the Learning Resource Centre at Paraquita Bay.

Some years prior to his death, Ed was recognised at a ceremony arranged by the College at the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Garden in Road Town.  Coming as it did at a time when his health was failing and his years of service to the Caribbean were drawing to a close, that evening meant so very much to Ed.  Often in our busy lives we do not take sufficient time to pause, to recognise, to say thank you.  The College, and the British Virgin Islands, did pause and recognize and say thank you on that evening, and it would remain one of Ed’s fondest memories in his final years.

And now, with the renaming of the Dr. Edward L. Towle Island Systems Environmental Collection in his memory and the dedication ceremony last week, the College has once again paused to recognise Ed’s service and his library, and to say thank you—and for this I am very grateful.

Yours sincerely,

Judith A. Towle, MPA
Vice President