MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of State in the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Ian Hayles is calling on Jamaicans to treat the preservation of the environment with as much zeal as they do with saving for their children’s future.

“We have to somehow find a way in saying to all our people that it is not just from an investment standpoint that you are going to pass things on, but you are going to have to pass on a climate all of us are respectful of and which all of us will share for generations to come,” Hayles said.

He was addressing yesterday’s opening ceremony of the two-day Climate Investment Fund (CIF) Partnership Forum now underway at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The forum, which is convened every two years, brings together donor and beneficiary countries of the CIF to share their experiences, learn from each other and capitalise on new opportunities.

CIF is an $8-billion funding vehicle dedicated to supporting developing and economies to adopt a low carbon environment and an environment which is climate resilient.

It has several programmes, including the Clean Technology Fund, Forest Investment Programme, Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and Scaling up renewable Energy in Low Income Countries Programme.

Jamaica is a beneficiary under the PPCR — a US$1.3 billion allocation with 18 donor countries — and has so far benefited under phase I of the programme, which focused primarily on data creation.

Hayles, meanwhile, said he was aware of the challenges which countries like Jamaica face in spreading the message regarding the impact of climate change to its population.

“I think all of you from your respective countries, one of the most important thing that you do daily… is how do you bring people along. And it’s no different here in Jamaica. Climate change is real and it is here and it takes a level of seriousness (to effectively address it).