KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, Pearnel Charles Jr, says that there is a lot more that will be needed to be done in Jamaica after the current 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland.

Charles, who is currently in Glasgow as a member of Jamaica’s delegation to the conference, says that coming out of COP26 he will be scheduling a series of discussions with the Environmental NGOs, the Mining Companies, and other stakeholders, with a view to advancing Jamaica’s environmental agenda.

The Minister also insists that, despite some negatives comments about its approach to the threat of Climate Change, the Government is doing its job, “which is to understand the more comprehensive  scope of economic and environmental considerations”, and has taken steps to protect Jamaican environment.

“It is a fact, that we have created the ministries, the policies and the framework that will, in time, lead Jamaica to become much more environmentally sustainable,” the Minister said. 

However, he said that he does not fault the environmental NGO’s for their criticisms of the policy and, instead, listens carefully to them.

 “They are doing what they have to do from their perspective, and are looking at it from one angle.  We have to look at it from another angle, and so my plan coming out of COP26 is to hit the ground running, in continuing the discussion with corporate leaders, with the mining companies and other stakeholders, not to talk about one particular issue, but to talk about how they are going to join in the conversation in advancing Jamaica’s environmental agenda,” he said.

He added that he will also be addressing how the Government is going to help them by examining their operations and how they can transition to operations that protect the environment beyond what currently exists., delegation participating in the climate talks, noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Jamaica, will continue to be strident in discussions surrounding the realities they face. 

“The discussion around keeping the global temperature below 1.5 (degrees centigrade), is something that people are saying is either a myth or a possibility, depending on how vulnerable you are.  For us in Jamaica, we are feeling the impacts already, with floods and hurricanes,” he stated.

“We can’t afford to think of it as something that is unreachable. We have to do what is necessary to build up an understanding in our country and to pull the other countries with us, in doing what is necessary to introduce innovation and to break down the barriers to financing in order to focus on adaptation,” he added.

He said that the Jamaican team have been participating in a number of discussions surrounding various issues, including Climate Financing and Energy, including meeting with the Commonwealth Secretary General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC.

He said that the Commonwealth Secretariat will be providing support to Jamaica and other SIDS, to develop economic models and help them understand how climate events impact their economies, and consequently, their development.

“The goal is for us to be able to make better decisions and carry out better actions using accurate data, and so it is very data driven and that is an important process, if we are going to be able to achieve these very lofty and ambitious goals,” Charles argued.

Balford Henry