Two famous sons passed one another at The Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel during last week's visit by The Duke Of York.

As the Queen's second son Prince Andrew exited the hotel following a luncheon with the Chamber of Commerce, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, son of the late US presidential hopeful Bobby Kennedy, was returning to his hotel suite.

While the Duke was primarily on the Island to deliver the Throne Speech, Mr. Kennedy had a mission that was every bit as relevant to Bermuda's residents.

Bermuda's fragile environment and the legacy we will leave to our children and generations to come was the subject that Mr. Kennedy spoke on as the latest guest in Bermuda Biological Station for Research's science and public policy lecture series.

"Ten percent of children in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, have permanent lung damage from breathing the air simply because of our car culture. And the air quality is not all that different from here in Hamilton," Mr. Kennedy told .

"The air quality in Hamilton is notoriously bad. People come here because it is a beautiful place, but the air is not healthy."

And that's not the only immediate concern. Fish caught around the Island are more likely than not contaminated, as they are in many parts of the world. Poisons such as mercury are turning up in fish stocks, and the major culprits are the coal-burning power stations of China and the US, according to Mr. Kennedy

Having worked for 22 years as an environmental advocate he was famously successful in helping the independent, citizens' environmental organisation Riverkeeper in the US fight to restore the Hudson River and prosecute companies responsible for polluting it.

That form of people power can make the difference between a world stripped of its resources and polluted beyond repair, and a world that sustains future generations.

Mr. Kennedy is far removed from a hippy-esque campaigner shouting for the protection of animals and birds ? he uses a language that is far more likely to resonate with big business and decision-makers than any "Save the Whale" slogan.

"We should protect the environment because it is our infrastructure. For our communities and for our children we have to protect the air that we breath, our water, our wildlife. There are some who say that we have to choose between having an environmental policy or having an economic policy. But that is not so, " he said.

"What the polluters are saying is that we should treat the planet like a business in liquidation, use it all up and give an illusion of prosperity ? but it is our children who have to pay for it."

Turning to Bermuda he said: "The beaches belong to the public and for the poorer people the beaches are their biggest asset. They have access to the water and can fish for something to eat. But what if the fish they catch is filled with mercury? It is an asset that has been stolen away. If the air that we breathe is dangerous to breath, which it is, then it has also been stolen from us and our children. We are allowing private business to pollute and they are, in effect, stealing these assets away."

So what can be done about it?

One route, which has been proven to be successful, is to take legal action against big businesses responsible for the pollution.

Another is to change our own habits by using appliances and motor vehicles that are more energy efficient.

Mr. Kennedy believes the government of Bermuda can play its role by encouraging Islanders to make 'greener' choices and also taking an international stand with others to force the worst polluting countries to mend their ways.

He said: "The government can use an incentive scheme to encourage people to purchase hybrid fuel cars, or introduce higher tariffs on cars that have the lowest efficiency."

Bermuda should also join with other countries on the international stage to fight the polluters.

"The government of Bermuda needs to be a voice for controlling mercury levels in fish. The mercury, for a large part, is not coming from the Island but is coming from the US and China's coal-burning power plants," he said.

"There are companies that are making money from polluting the people of Bermuda. The government needs to be a voice on the international scene to force these companies to stop polluting."