JAMAICA has won commendation from international engineering and scientific services provider Jacobs UK for taking steps at the policy level to mitigate climate change.

Addressing last Friday’s environment expo at Devon House, divisional director of the company Steve Ntifo, himself a leading authority on water, sanitation and wastewater services policy and strategy, gave examples of specific projects being undertaken in that regard in the UK and his native Rwanda, and said that the current move to establish policy in Jamaica was essential to creating a green economy.

“Here in Jamaica, the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change is in the process of developing a climate change policy framework, with a broad objective to “create a sustainable institutional mechanism to facilitate the development, coordination and implementation of policies, sectoral plans, programmes, strategies, and legislation to address the impacts of climate change”.

“Honourable Minister, thank you for leading the way in Jamaica to create a framework and the necessary systems for climate change and a green economy,” he said, addressing portfolio minister Robert Pickersgill.

Ntifo said, however, that in spite of progress worldwide, particulalrly in awareness building, a lot more needs to be done in terms of “concrete action” as “pays economically and environmentally” .

For his part, Pickersgill reiterated the Portia Simpson-Miller-led administration’s commitment to sustainable development

“I have heard persons say that the term sustainable development is hackneyed. But it speaks to the balance that must be achieved between our economic development goals, and the conservation and preservation of our natural resources and our environment. In any equation, more of one input, will, of necessity, mean less of the other.

“With a growing population and finite resources, we therefore need to plan effectively for the future, especially in light of the growing threats of the impacts of climate change.

He added: “I have often said it, but I repeat, all sectors will be affected by climate change impacts such as increased acidification of our seas as well as sea level rise; an increase in the intensity of storms, and extreme weather patterns such as drought, flooding, and heatwaves. Climate change impacts will affect our water sources, agriculture and fisheries, tourism, health and sanitation, infrastructure and the built environment with potentially catastrophic effects on our lives and livelihoods.”

The expo was staged by the environment ministry andß its agencies, partners and stakeholders in commemoration of International Day of Forests, World Water Day and World Meteorological Day, all observed last weekend.

With a staff complement of 70,000 in over 170 countries worldwide, Jacobs serves a range of sectors, including water, climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. Its environemntal specialists are rated best in class in water, wastewater, and climate change.