Environment Minister Says Progress Has Been Made In Management, But Challenges Remain

KINGSTON — Minister of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says Jamaica has made substantial improvements in environmental management, but many challenges still remain, which must be addressed, particularly as the country strives to achieve continued economic growth.

Among the country’s main challenges, Dr. Chang said, is the need to adjust to the impacts of climate change and to carry out “no regrets mitigation actions to reduce our emission of green house gases.”

The Minister was speaking at the launch of the State of the Environment Report 2010 and the Human Development Report 2011, held at the Knutsford Court hotel in New Kingston, today (December 16).

The reports were produced and launched through a partnership between the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Dr. Chang further noted that among the priority areas for the government is to build the country’s awareness and capacity to manage chemicals and waste in a sound manner.

“Much work is still needed in educating Jamaicans on the risks associated with chemicals, particularly hazardous chemicals and safety precautions to be taken to reduce their level of exposure,” he said.

He  argued that there is also an urgent need to obtain further information on chemicals, such as mercury and asbestos, within the Jamaican context, in order to formulate the appropriate environmental and public health policies and programmes to minimise the public’s risk of exposure.

Dr. Chang  informed that the fastest growing treatment had to do with electrical and electronic waste, noting that was undoubtedly associated with the age of information.

In this regard, he said the government intends to develop and implement, in the near future, a national programme for environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic waste.

“To support this programme, a public education awareness campaign will be introduced, which will facilitate the dissemination of information or e-waste. Also, importers will be encouraged to supply environmentally friendly electrical products for the local market,” he said.

In terms of biodiversity, Dr. Chang noted that among the emerging issues is the matter of invasive alien species, which have become a major concern over the past two years.

This, he said, included the much feared lion fish, which has become a major threat to biodiversity and the livelihood of fishermen, given its potentially devastating impact on fish stocks, its rapid rate of reproduction and the absence of known predators in Jamaican waters.

“Building public awareness is one of the main responses to this threat and Jamaica’s participation in a regional project to address the lion fish invasion,” he said.

The State of the Environment (SoE) Report 2010, which was prepared with funding support from the UNDP and input from government Ministries, departments and agencies, is a status report on the condition of Jamaica’s environment. The report identifies the major environmental issues facing the island and the possible areas for improvement, in order to achieve a healthier environment and promote sustainable development.

The Human Development Report 2011 was launched under the theme ‘Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All’. The study explores the linkages between environmental sustainability and equity, and forecasts a possible collision course if human development and environmental risks are not brought into balance. It also provides new contributions to the global dialogue on the balance among environmental sustainability, equity and human rights.

Dr. Chang said he  welcomed the joint launch of both studies, as they  provide the opportunity for stakeholders to contemplate, not only the report on the state of the environment at the national level, but the global perspective and the connection between environmental sustainability and human development.

He  noted that much of the data in the SoE report showed that there still exists many worrying trends,  including the deteriorating air and water quality, poor management of solid, liquid and hazardous waste, loss of biodiversity, watershed degradation and loss of forests.

“The Human Development summary notes that increasing evidence points to widespread environmental degradation around the world and potentially future deterioration,” he said.

He added that the report also signalled that the enormous progress in human development over the past several decades comes with caveats. “For example, income growth has been associated with deterioration in such key environmental indicators as carbon dioxide emissions, degradation of water quality and forest deterioration,” he pointed out.

By Athaliah Reynolds, JIS Reporter