Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, has outlined key government strategies designed to build national resilience against the impacts of climate change.
He noted that climate change is a daily issue, as it slowly deteriorates soil quality, gradually warms the environment, and reduces pollination rate, which affects farmers, manufacturers and other sectors.
“Climate change makes the life of every Jamaican that much more difficult each day. It makes the planning and the investment that much more difficult for manufacturers to get the dividend that they deserve from their investment of capital and, indeed, time and creativity,” the Minister said.
He was speaking at the Manufacture 360° Conference hosted by the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), at the AC Marriott Hotel, on May 20, under the theme: ‘Robust Recovery for Resilient Growth’.
The Minister pointed out that the Government has taken steps to help the nation thrive despite the climate-change effects, by implementing initiatives to support individual adaptation and build national resilience.
Mr. Samuda highlighted the regulatory framework as the initial priority, which resulted in the Government tabling the Climate Change and Emissions Policies in 2022. He also cited the introduction of a green investment strategy, which outlines how industrial enterprises can access public and private financing to facilitate their green transition.
“It is why the Government is moving to entrench climate change legislation later this year. It’s why the Government is completing what’s known as our National Adaptation Plan, which is an international requirement under the UNFCCC’s (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Paris Agreement,” Mr. Samuda said.
He also highlighted the critical part that the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) will play in the process, maintaining that climate resilience must be pursued “at break-neck speed”, as there is still much to be done.
He stated that the pursuit of climate resilience has to be completed through two channels – access capital at unprecedented speed and using revenue from taxes to implement adaptation projects that will increase the nation’s chances of thriving.
Minister Samuda expressed pride in the Government’s launch of its new US$200-million catastrophe fund; and the Blue and Geen Fund, which will be launched this year.
The Blue and Geen Fund will be housed at the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and primarily financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
“[It] will unlock some $200 million of projects that will fit within the mitigation targets. Meaning energy projects that result in emission reductions [and] adaptation projects that harden both public and private infrastructure will be accessible locally through the Development Bank of Jamaica,” Minister Samuda outlined.
He noted, too, that the nation’s leaders will be pursuing multilateral agreements with international partners by leveraging the various green transition projects.
Meanwhile, local investments are focused on the nation’s water resilience, as the commodity is critical to national growth.
This includes the construction of the Rio Cobre Water Treatment Plant that will bring approximately 15.5 million gallons of water to Kingston, St. Andrew, Portmore and Spanish Town, which forms a large part of the industrial belt of the country.
“That will ensure you have the buffer so that your businesses don’t have to shut down because of drought… [and] schools don’t cut learning hours because of drought, certainly within that corridor,” Mr. Samuda noted.
He also highlighted that construction on the more than US$400-million Western Resilience Water Project, which will see pipelines run from the Martha Brae in Trelawny to Negril, Westmoreland, began two weeks ago.
Additionally, more than US$200 million has been invested in the Pedro Plains Irrigation Scheme, which is critical in the pursuit of food security.
