Environment

JA commits to contributing to UN forest targets

Jamaica , through the Forestry Department, has pledged to contribute to the United Nations' target of increasing global forest cover by three per cent by 2030. Read More

CDB buys electric car
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) last week unveiled an electric car which it has added to its transportation fleet. The car, a Nissan Leaf Tekna purchased through Barbados-based company Megapower Ltd, produces zero emissions.... Read More

$500,000 more for Jonathan Grant
Jonathan Grant High School in Spanish Town, St Catherine, recently won half a million dollars for having sustained its eco-smart greenhouse, the construction of which incorporated plastic bottles and featured a fully integrated aquaponics system. ... Read More

BirdsCaribbean questions export of
The bird conservation group BirdsCaribbean recently released a statement questioning the legality and scientific merit of the export of rare parrots from Dominica to Germany, and joined over a dozen international groups petitioning the United Nations to investigate and...... Read More

Does nature hold the answer to flooding?

BY JOHANNA RICHARDS | Wednesday, May, 9 2018

Heavy rains over the past few days have resulted in flooding events in various sections of the island. They bring to mind several events in 2017, the most significant of which was perhaps the November 22nd flooding in Montego Bay, in which just four hours of intense rainfall wreaked... Read More

Jamaica among 10 pilot countries for reducing ship emissions project

Friday, May, 4 2018

JAMAICA is among 10 countries that have been selected to participate in the Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships (GloMEEP) Project, which aims to support the implementation of energy-efficiency measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. Read More

Year of the Bird celebrations now on

Wednesday, May, 2 2018

A total of 40 events on 14 islands are already on the schedule for this year's Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) which began on Earth Day, April 22, and is scheduled to continue to May 22 — International Day for Biological Diversity. Read More

Sea of solar panels turns Mexican desert green

Wednesday, May, 2 2018

VIESCA, Mexico (AFP) — From a distance, it looks like a deep-blue sea has formed in the middle of the Mexican desert.But this is no mirage — it's the largest solar park in Latin America. Read More

KFTL joins worldwide effort to end plastic pollution

Wednesday, May, 2 2018

As millions of people across the globe observed World Earth Day on April 22 under the theme 'End Plastic Pollution', Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) reported the removal of 8,299 bags of garbage, comprising mainly plastics, from the Refuge Cay mangroves in Kingston. Read More

'Prevention better than cure'

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor — Features thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com | Wednesday, April, 18 2018

In a bid last week to drum up support for disaster planning, the island's chief disaster management executive reasoned that since natural disaster is imminent given Jamaica's geographical location and subsequent exposure to climate shocks, it is wiser... Read More

Nature offers better protection

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor – features thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com | Wednesday, April, 18 2018

Clarendon solar farm withstands heavy rains, hurricane winds

Wednesday, April, 11 2018

Utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant Content Solar is reporting that while unprecedented torrential rainfall in 2017 damaged utilities across the region and caused extensive flooding and landslides in Jamaica, including its home base of Clarendon, its plant remained... Read More

Regional company to add drought, fisheries insurance

Wednesday, April, 11 2018

Provider of earthquake, hurricane and excess rainfall insurance to countries in the region, CCRIF, has plans to add drought coverage to its portfolio of products and intends to widen its clientèle to include sectors such as agriculture and fisheries, renewable and... Read More

Resilient islands

Wednesday, April, 11 2018

Following one of the most devastating hurricane seasons in recent history, environment groups are launching a four-year initiative to show Caribbean islands how to use nature to protect coastal communities from flooding, storm surges, hurricanes and other disasters... Read More

Greenpeace leaves SUSTAINABLE WOOD certification group

Wednesday, April, 4 2018

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Greenpeace is withdrawing from the main global group for certifying sustainable wood, saying the organisation it helped found more than two decades ago is failing to protect natural forests from exploitation. Read More