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26 May 2006 10:43:38
Top biologist, Professor James Crabbe, fears next year’s cricket World Cup in the Caribbean will be great for sport – but not such good news for the environment.
New holiday resorts are currently springing up on the islands to accommodate the thousands of fans expected to jet over for the tournament next spring.
But the knock-on impact, warns the Professor, is that the local tropical environment, particularly coral reefs, will suffer.
Professor Crabbe, Dean of the University of Luton’s Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science, made his observations after returning from Jamaica where he recently gave an opening address at the Caribbean Climate Change Conference in Montego Bay.
“I love my cricket,” said the Professor, “but the World Cup is bad news for the eco-system there. Hotel resorts are being built along the coastlines and such developments are destroying the corals and mangrove swamps which provide vital nutrients to help feed the marine life.”
Professor Crabbe was in Jamaica to further his research work on the effects of global warming and bleaching on coral, at a dedicated site on the northern coastline of the island.
“Global warming generated by other countries causes a rise in sea levels and raises sea surface temperatures,” he told the conference. “As a consequence, the Caribbean experienced an increase in hurricane intensity last year. This has caused much damage among the corals, particularly coral bleaching, where the corals lose their algal plant cells and soon die. This deprives the local marine life of a much-needed environment. The state of the coral reefs is the worst I have seen since 2000.”
Professor Crabbe told delegates – who included leading Jamaican politicians, tourism officials and environment body representatives – about his work to develop a model to promote coral growth by predicting climate changes.
His work has already drawn interest from international science journalists and his observations are due to be catalogued in a book published by Cambridge University Press next year. He is set to visit visiting Belize this summer to carry out further research.
Prior to his move to the University of Luton, Professor Crabbe was at the University of Reading – as Professor of Protein Biochemistry and Head of School. Before this, he spent 10 years at Oxford University, mostly in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Biochemistry. He is a Supernumeracy Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford.
Latest news» 2006» May» Luton's top biologist fears cricket will knock environment for six
