Can science prove the Bahama Banks to be a long-term carbon sink?
The links provided in this article should point the reader to present scientific consensus and not to crackpots. Many parts of the carbon cycle are poorly understood, and are the subject of much debate and research. The Bahamas has welcomed researchers to study its unique environment for many years. It should continue this, and should actively encourage research projects that clarify the role of the banks in the global carbon cycle. Is enhancement of its carbon sink potential environmentally sound? The ideas presented in this article are only sketches. Filling in the details will require environmental engineering studies and small-scale pilot projects. The Bahamas will have to balance the ideal of leaving nature alone against the need to actively manage and mitigate human change to the environment. In a democracy, this means submitting major environmental enhancement projects to the representative political process – in short, asking the opinion of the people. Can CDM credits be expand
