KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, Pearnel Charles Jr says his ministry is moving to assist in advancing the country’s sustainable transportation, renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and climate change agendas through a project entitled ‘Supporting Sustainable Transportation through the shift to electric mobility in Jamaica’.

Charles Jr, who was speaking at the first meeting of the Project Steering Committee for the electric mobility project on Thursday September 9, noted that although small, the project would assist in advancing the country’s sustainable transport, renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and climate change agendas.

“This project is a priority for my ministry, in particular the Office of the Chief Technical Director (Policy Planning and Evaluation Division) and the Environment and Risk Management Branch. Through its many iterations, we saw the project concept blossom into a robust, meaningful, and impactful set of deliverables,” the minister said.

The minister further stated that he was particularly pleased at the broad cross section of participants who will comprise the Project Steering Committee.

“This Project Steering Committee brings together a wealth of knowledge and expertise across the public and private sectors, and we are especially happy to see the continued interest and active engagement of the private sector, particularly the automotive sector, in this e-mobility project and by extension the wider e-mobility transition. The group that we have here today is an excellent example of partnership and collaboration,” he said.

With the continuous increase in temperatures due to Global Warming as stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2018 special report, there is a need for rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities.

“The impacts of a temperature increase above 1.5°C on our ecosystems, critical infrastructure, labour productivity, health and wellbeing will be significant. It is said that carbon dioxide emissions from the transport sector account for 22 per cent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, which have experienced substantial growth in the past and are expected to double by 2050,” the minister disclosed.

“The COVID-19 pandemic which continues to challenge the global community, has presented us with an opportunity to rethink the business-as-usual approach to coalesce around more environmentally conscious policies and programmes, as well as investment strategies. The failure to grasp this opportunity may redound to the detriment of present and future generations. Today is the day for change,” the minister declared.

Noting that several Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Barbados, have already made strides in transitioning their transport sectors to e-mobility, Charles Jr emphasised that the Government, in collaboration with its partners, intends to follow suit.

“My ministry can assure you that great focus has been placed on ensuring that these project interventions are strategically placed in the national agenda, are transformative, scalable and will take into consideration coherency with all the initiatives on the ground,” he added.

The minister thanked all partners and stakeholders including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the various government ministries, departments and agencies, as well as several private sector companies who have dedicated their time and given commitments of co-financing to the project.