Bermuda?s sustainable development debate has also caught the interest of journalist Carol Williams who visited the Island recently.

Labelling Bermudians ?victims of their own affluence? Ms Williams provides a detailed account of the environmental problems currently facing Bermuda in the face of both a expanding population and international business sector.

?In a rare collective pause for reflection, the people of this prosperous mid-Atlantic island are debating whether they want to bust their own boom,? Ms Williams wrote.

?The envy of most nations, with per capita gross domestic product of $36,000 and 13,000 offshore businesses spending $1.5 billion a year, Bermuda?s 65,000 people are facing the possibility ? some call it a threat ? of becoming another Hong Kong.?

Pointing to the recent water shortage and electrical blackout, the article highlighted the increasing strain being placed on Bermuda?s infrastructure because of the ?concurrent booms in cruise-ship tourism and international business?.

Erin Moran, a founding member of the Greenrock environmental group is quoted as saying that the Island is ?bursting at the seams? while sustainable development project leader Ross Andrews reportedly told the that the overwhelming majority of locals are very concerned about preserving Bermuda?s natural beauty and ?small-town? feel.

?Those lending their voices to public debates and government hearings talk more about a clean environment, security and friendly social relations than the outlook for further income infusions,? the article concludes.