Let me see if I have the arguments for continuing cane burning right:
1. Tradition - been doing this since the beginning of time.
2. Cheaper than cutting.
3. Loss of 800 jobs if plant closes.
4. Move if you don't like it.
None of these arguments addresses the real issue: Burning of cane causes smoke and ash which affects health.
As to the arguments above:
The first one (tradition) is brilliant, shows some real ingenuity - wow.
In the second one (cutting) nowhere does the sugar company tell us just how expensive cutting is, it just alludes to going out of business and 800 people losing jobs. Apparently other producers cut rather than burn and are still in business.
Number three (jobs) is the big scare tactic. Is cutting rather than burning really going to put the sugar plant out of business? I would like to see some actual figures in support of this claim.
Finally, as to No. 4, why should I have to move from a place I love. No matter how you cut it, cane burning is hazardous to all our health, thus maybe we should work together to find a better solution.
Tom Couris
Kihei
