Jamaica to Begin Testing Climate Predictive System in June

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change Pearnel Charles Jr. says Jamaica will begin testing its climate predictive system in June.

Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change Pearnel Charles Jr“The tool will enable us as decision-makers to assess climate risk to Jamaica’s infrastructure networks to visualize hot spots of high levels of economic and social value at risk, in relevant time horizons,” he told the House of Representatives during his contribution to the 2021/2022 Sectoral Debate.

Jamaica is the first country in the world to begin the process of developing a predictive and climate-risk assessment planning tool for major infrastructure, under the global private-sector-led Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI) initiative.

Charles Jr. said that strengthening climate resilience and environmental health is a priority and his ministry and its agencies continue to be “proactive and vigilant” in advocating and promoting policies and laws that govern and protect the environment.

He reported that during the 2020/2021 financial year, “significant” progress was made in advancing a number of environmental policy instruments and program. Among them is the Green Economy Investment Strategy for Jamaica, which will be finalized shortly.

Minister Charles told the House that the policy will promote “green investments as a crucial element of the post-COVID-19 recovery. The strategy will support the National Investment Policy being developed by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce”.

Also nearing completion is the National Policy for Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous Water, which is aimed at reducing the deleterious effects of hazardous wastes on human health and the environment.

The measure covers the management of non-infectious medical waste, which will be particularly important in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minister noted.

Other policies being finalized are the Biosafety Policy, which treats with reducing any potential risks to human health and the environment from the development, transboundary movement, handling and use of living modified organisms, and the Beach Access and Management Policy for Jamaica, which seeks to, among other things, increase access to the foreshore by the public and improve the standard of beaches that are accessible to the public.