The problem with the Sandals proposal is not in the proposal but in how it is explained to others that lack a full understanding of the issues. Too often people react in ways that are not pragmatic. And if a crowd is involved, the reactions can be really off the mark. Petitions are like that sometimes. You get stopped on your beach walk by someone that looks friendly, they ask a question that is a bit misleading such as "Do you want to see cruise ships coming to Negril?", you answer in the negative, and are asked to sign a petition about beach erosion.

Back in the 1970s I was involved in designing and engineering a power plant that burned a combination of coal and trash. We won national and international engineering awards from our peers and the city was 100% behind it. Solved both a power problem and reduced the landfill requirements. The press called it the "Trash Burning Power Plant" and that was when the problems started. It was built on a swamp that had a natural stink to it. Before it was built the swamp stank, after it was build the swamp stank. BUT the people believed the stink came from the power plant. Despite expensive analysis to determine the cause of the smells and several community meetings (largely attended by activists who knew nothing about the natural environment and shouted down any engineering explanations), the plant was shut down and now rots. On top of that the landfills are filling faster and the power in use is created by coal burning only. How environmentally good was that?

The preservation of a beach in Jamaica is a good thing but certainly not the biggest environmental problem on the planet. If you want to focus on something useful for the future, focus on clean water for drinking.