Minister Highlights Significance of Protecting the Environment

A proactive approach in tackling environmental issues is one of the surest ways to ensure the country remains a first-choice destination for investors and visitors.

This was stated by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, at the Invest Jamaica 2022 Business Conference, being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, on November 29.

“We will have a system in place where tourism interests can tell their guests to go on eco tours. We are ensuring that the product meets the needs of the market… we are ensuring that all our investors will indeed feel as if this is their home,” Mr. Samuda said.

The Minister, who has responsibility for Environment, argued that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the importance of protecting the environment, adding that destinations that have had the foresight to pursue policies in that regard will always have a leg up as it relates to attracting foreign investors.

“What we can assure is that we are working assiduously and with all our partners to deal with the many environmental challenges we face,” he said.

“We are not just talking about the environmental challenges but also the climatic challenges… the systemic issues that lead to garbage issues. We are working and investing to fix those. So, taking the lessons learned from COVID, so far, we are working with our partners to ensure that we are the destination best suited for investments,” the Minister added.

Mr. Samuda said that investors are looking at destinations that are environmentally friendly, noting that “as we welcome the rest of the world…they are becoming more discerning, and they do want to know that the products they are engaging in are more sustainable…and they do want to know that when they turn on their air condition, it is coming from renewable energy.”

“They also want to know that there is a recycling programme to use their waste. We can assure that Jamaica is rapidly putting in place all the structures and investments that we need to welcome new investors and to say to all our investors who have been with us for over 40 years…that they can sell a sustainable destination…that Jamaica is equipped with the tools and [is indeed environmentally friendly],” he noted.

The Minister said that Jamaica will not only have sustainable waste management but will hit 50 per cent of its energy needs from renewables by 2030.

Jamaica has been turning the tide on its dependence on imported fossil fuels and diversifying its energy sources. Experts have long opined that the impacts of climate change and volatile costs of fossil fuels have made renewable clean energy sources the best options for Jamaica and other Caribbean nations to build a sustainable and resilient economy in the long term.

Minister Samuda was one of the panellists who explored the theme: ‘A Conversation on the Future of Global Tourism’, during the first day of the two-day conference.