Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Peter Thompson, says it is important for farmers to adapt to the changing weather patterns and plan accordingly. “As it relates to the hurricane season, we would expect some amount of rainfall, so we always encourage them to clear their drains, protect drains where necessary in the fields, and...

Some $451.2 million has been budgeted to continue work under phase two of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR II) during the next fiscal year. The sum is set aside in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Being implemented by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, the project aims to improve the...

The Government has set aside $346 million for its climate-change resilience and action plan activities as outlined in the 2020/2021 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The objective of the project, which commenced in 2015, dubbed ‘Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience 11 (PPCRII) – Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism’, is to implement climate-change awareness and training initiatives,...

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) is looking to facilitate the planting of at least 500,000 trees over the next two years. The move is in support of the Government’s initiative, launched last October, for the planting of three million trees over three years as part of measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. It is also in...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says youth empowerment and engagement are critical in reducing the impact of climate change and raising awareness about the issue. Speaking at University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Guild Climate Action Conference 2019 Project Plan, at the campus, on November 29,...

Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Office), Evan Thompson, says the index being developed by the agency to predict bush fires should be ready within the next few months. “We are working on it,” he said, noting that the index will determine the areas where bush fires are likely to occur, so that the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) and other relevant stakeholders...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says a percentage of savings from Jamaica’s debt reduction programme will be transferred to the Contingencies Fund, to bolster the country’s response to natural disasters. “In the new era of being fiscally resilient, whatever we save from the reduction in debt repayments, we are putting some aside to deal with catastrophic disasters that...