THE government will take climate change into consideration when deciding how to use the country’s land, Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Robert Pickersgill said at the launch of activities to mark Earth Day last week.

If government follows through on this promise, it will prevent construction and development in areas that will result in flooding, landslides and other environmental disasters as has been the case in the past.

Speaking at the Earth Day launch at the offices of the National Housing Trust in Kingston on Tuesday, April 17, Pickersgill said that the country “is increasingly taking steps to integrate climate-proofing in our policies, planning process and programmes”.

He said the National Development Plan indicates that climate change scenarios will be incorporated into future economic and land use planning to “provide a framework to ensure that we reduce the risks associated with natural hazards by integrating hazard considerations into the country’s development planning”.

The minister also highlighted the importance of accurate, relevant and practical information to deepen the understanding of climate change and what it will take to build the country’s resilience to it.

Pickersgill endorsed the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project under which the Earth Day celebration falls. Activities under the project include re-forestation of watershed areas; restoration of mangrove forests and beaches, sea grass rehabilitation, artificial reef installation, public education and building resilience of coastal areas at risk from climate change.

Also at the launch, entertainer Pampi Judah called on the minister to ensure that sanitation workers from the National Solid Waste Management Authority use biodegradable plastic bags when collecting refuse, instead of the regular plastic bags which take years to break down.

Pampi Judah and other members of the group Voices for Climate Change performed a number of songs with messages about the importance of protecting the environment.

Traditionally celebrated on April 22, Earth Day was started by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 as a means of encouraging awareness at the grassroots level of the need to protect the earth’s resources. The local theme for the celebration is ‘Let’s mobilise: conserve, protect and recycle’.