HEAD of the Climate Branch of the Meteorological Service, Jeffrey Spooner, has reminded Jamaica’s policy makers of the need for more extensive research on climate change and its effects on the island’s biodiversity, in order that measures may be crafted to deflect the destruction of certain critical natural resources.

Those resources include mangroves and coral reefs and how their destruction will impact other living organisms, humans among them.

“Investigation of the socio-economic vulnerability in all sectors, including our biodiversity is a must,” Spooner told an audience of students and environmental professionals at the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) Tuesday. “The effects of, and understanding of climate change, particularly vulnerability and adaptation, needs further analysis to fully address our concerns.”

Spooner was speaking against the background of the celebration of International Biodiversity Day, commemorated each year on May 22.

A representative of the Local Government and Environment Ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, echoed his sentiment.

“I don’t think enough is being done yet, even singly – if you take climate change as an issue by itself – and getting it into policy,” the representative told the Observer. “So we have a ways to go in terms of looking at that, and getting into the making of the various linkages (such as between climate change and biodiversity). In fact, I don’t think that there are many linkages being made around the world.”

Spooner also reaffirmed the need for public education as essential to getting Jamaicans to understand what they are up against with climate change.

“There is a need for the formulation of a comprehensive adaptation plan for the entire island. The need for public awareness and education must be key in any adaptation plan,” he said.

The Met Service official added, however, that the expectation was that these issues would be dealt with under Jamaica’s second communication/report on climate change, which was currently being worked on for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The submission is to be made in accordance with Jamaica’s obligations as a signatory to that international convention.

Spooner noted that the island needed to act now with speed to ensure Jamaica was able to adapt to climate change and its effects on:

. rising sea levels and the implications for the tourism product;

. more intense storms and their effect on housing and other developments, as well as on biological diversity such as mangroves; and

. rising sea and land temperatures and the implications for the spread of such diseases as dengue.

“The science has proven with much more confidence that many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century would very likely be larger than those observed during the 20th century. So we need to act and act now. Delay is not an option,” Spooner said.