Climate Change Policy and Action Plan to be Tabled in Parliament

A draft Green Paper on the Climate Change Policy Framework and Action Plan will be tabled shortly in the House of Representatives.

This was disclosed by Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, during Tuesday’s (September 10) sitting of the House of Representatives.

The Minister was responding to a motion brought by Member of Parliament for North Western St. James, and Opposition Spokesman on Climate Change, Dr. Horace Chang, on climate change and its impacts.

Mr. Pickersgill said that the Policy and Action Plan calls for the development of climate change sector plans as well as the implementation of special initiatives within key sectors.

“In addition, all Ministries and Departments will be required to designate a focal point to facilitate the coordination of climate change actions across government,” he stated.

The policy was prepared under the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCADRR) Project funded by the Government of Jamaica, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also supported this process.

Mr. Pickersgill also mentioned that under a project with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), a National Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (CDRM) Policy and Strategy for Jamaica is being developed.

He explained that this policy will incorporate the draft Hazard Mitigation Policy (2005) and will be based on the Model Comprehensive Disaster Management Policy prepared by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

The motion was approved and is to be referred to a Special Joint Select Committee of Parliament for consideration and report.