A pollution heads up for Panama

California didn’t act soon enough on smog and is now paying the cost in lives and dollars

DAVID YOUNG OUR MAN IN PANAMA
ourman@laestrella.com.pa

That should be a wake up call to the back room boys who are allegedly working on a new transportation system for Panama city.

The study, which examined the costs of air pollution also said that annual costs in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths ran into the billions of dollars.

While we may not yet be able to challenge California in terms of pollution we are working on it with the daily belching of black carbon from the fleets of under-serviced diablos rojos (old school buses converted for use as a public transportation “service”) and from the scores of dump trucks and cement mixers that tear up and down our streets, producing potholes, blackening buildings, and the lungs of citizens.

Add to that the thousands of cars, many badly maintained including those displaying the “for official use” logo, and police vehicles, and we have a problem in the making.

One California expert pointed out: "We are paying now for not having done enough”".

That should alert the authorities that a stitch in time saves nine.

If you want to get a visible indication of our smog level, take a ferry to Taboga and look back and see the black cloud that hangs over the city. Or take a look at the paint work on buildings repainted only two years ago, that are now streaked with soot.

There are laws in the works for cracking down on vehicle emissions, but without proper enforcement they will mean nothing. In other jurisdictions, trucks and buses are checked roadside, and hauled out of service if they do not meet the permitted norms. Oh for a breath of fresh air.

NEVER SAY NEVER. The financial wizards who, while receiving obscene salaries, created the crisis that has put the world into a deep recession, predicted early in the year that we would never again see oil at $50 a barrel. By July, when oil was hovering around the $150 they went further, and said that by year end it would be hitting $200. So much for expert predictions. Better to stick to the Farmers’ Almanac.

PANAMA FEVER. Remember the hysteria surrounding Latin American Idol, with people lining up to donate to the corporations running the shell game? As we pointed out at the time, on the same day as millions of dollars poured into the corporate coffers, a child died of malnutrition in Chiriqui. In Panama they danced and sang in the streets. Scores more deaths from the same cause have been reported recently.

From the United States comes a news item that “American Idol" has allocated more than $64 million in grants to six U.S. and international charities from contributions to its "Idol Gives Back" fundraising event. The popular Fox singing competition's star-studded gala, featured musical performances by Miley Cyrus, Fergie, Heart and Snoop Dogg.

Grants were made to Malaria No More; Children's Health Fund; Save the Children and Children's Defense Fund, among others. While Panama may not be able to produce a matching number of entertainment stars, those who have coined millions from the Idol, could find a way to stage something to help the kids dying of malnutrition.

Publicidad