CLIMATE change and its impact on the economy, infrastructure, lifestyle, and health of Caribbean nations, among others, will be the focus of the GraceKennedy Foundation Annual Public Lecture at the Jamaica Pegasus on Tuesday.

The lecture will be presented by Professor Michael A Taylor, director of the climate studies group at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

Caroline Mahfood, executive director of the GraceKennedy Foundation, said that this year’s lecture topic was in keeping with the foundation’s long-standing commitment to preserving and protecting the environment.

Said Mahfood: “The lecture will provide us with interesting insights into linkages relating to climate, such as those with water, health, agriculture and tourism sectors and how climate change impacts the economy, infrastructure, lifestyle and health of Caribbean nations.”

A specialist in the area of environmental physics, Professor Taylor’s outstanding work has been celebrated and recognised through the many awards bestowed on him, nationally and internationally. He was the recipient in 1999 of the American Meteorological Society Global Change Scholar Award, in 2004 of the START International Young Scientist Award and in 2008, the Third World Academy of Science/Caribbean Academy of Science Young Scientist Award. In 2013, the Council of the Institute of Jamaica awarded Professor Taylor the Silver Musgrave Medal for outstanding merit in the field of science.

He joins a distinguished panel of presenters of the lecture series since its inception in 1989. Other presenters to date include Professor Elsa Leo-Rhynie, Pauline Milburn, Professor Patrick Bryan, Ambassador Don Mills, Marjorie Whylie, Elizabeth Thomas-Hope, Lucien Jones, Maureen Samms-Vaughn, Sir Alister McIntyre, Anna Kasafi Perkins, and most recently, Fritz Pinnock.

The mandate of the annual lecture series is to assist the public in understanding all the aspects of any issue with which the society is grappling by providing the information that is needed to effectively explore the subject.

Though the public is invited to attend, similar to last year, the lecture will be streamed live on the GraceKennedy Foundation’s YouTube page: gracekennedyfdn.