Comments Invited On Emissions And Climate Change Policies

Members of the public are being encouraged to continue contributing to the discourse on the Government’s Emissions Policy Framework and the updated Climate Change Policy Framework by submitting written comments and suggestions.

Comments can be sent to policycomments@megjc.gov.jm no later than March 31, 2022.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, made the call at Wednesday’s (February 23) virtual post-Cabinet press briefing.

He noted that while the series of public consultations on the policies, which the Government had been holding to canvass the input of all stakeholders, ended on Tuesday (February 22), further comments are being invited as the Government seeks to strengthen the important policy documents.

The input from stakeholders is expected to assist in identifying gaps in legislation, research, raising public awareness, technology transfer and other matters, and provide opportunity for building a collaborative and sustainable approach.

“When we have taken all the comments into consideration, we will present the policies to Cabinet and from there we will update the country, by way of the Parliament, on the extent of these policies,” he said.

Mr. Samuda stressed that the updated Climate Change Policy is crucial, given that “climate change is indeed real and it is a clear and present danger to Jamaica”.

“This policy framework… is very important to help the Government to appropriately plan for the changes that have already happened and those that are to come,” he said.

He noted that while middle to low-income countries, such as Jamaica , do not contribute significantly to climate change, they are most affected by its impacts, and it is, therefore, crucial for the country to have structures in place to better deal with the effects.

“As a global climate leader, we believe it’s important for us to also chart the way forward with appropriate climate action, while we also adapt and ensure that our systems, our infrastructure are resilient enough to manage the [impending] changes,” he said.

Minister Samuda said the 2015 Climate Change Policy Framework has been revised and updated to reflect the targets of the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The agreement is geared towards holding the rise in the global average temperature to well below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Turning to the Emissions Policy, Mr. Samuda noted that it is a “close cousin” of the Climate Change Policy, which delves into general air quality.

The Emissions Policy Framework gives overarching and strategic guidance on improving air quality, which is particularly important for businesses and livelihoods that involve outdoor labour-intensive work.

Minister Samuda warned that air pollution “cannot be ignored as a clear and immediate danger,” noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers this to be the greatest environmental risk to health.

“The organisation has stated that air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. In fact, data shows that nine out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits containing high levels of pollutants, with low and middle-income countries like Jamaica suffering from high exposures,” he said.

The Minister pointed out that the total number of deaths attributed to ambient air pollution in Jamaica in 2016, was estimated to be 695.

Both policies may be viewed on the Ministry’s website at https://megjc.gov.jm/policies/.