Minister Samuda Urges United Action to Safeguard Environment

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Matthew Samuda, says Government is calling on all Jamaicans to work together to safeguard the environment for future generations.

“Now is the moment for bold strides. If we act together, across ministries, across communities, across generations, we can create a Jamaica that not only survives the environmental challenges of the 21^st century but thrives beyond them; a Jamaica where clean energy powers our towns, where plastic waste is a thing of the past, where our rivers run clear, and our children grow up not asking what we lost but celebrating what we saved,” the Minister said.

The Minister’s remarks were delivered by Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Gillian Guthrie, at a symposium on the environment held on Thursday (June 5) at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

The event, organised by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA)  was held under the theme ‘State of the Environment in Jamaica: Challenges, Opportunities and Pathways for Sustainability’.

Minister Samuda noted that while plastic pollution, illegal dumping, and inadequate infrastructure have placed tremendous strain on the environment and communities, “there is a story unfolding of resilience, innovation and action”.

“Projects like the solar farm in Trelawny and the floating solar plant on the Mona Reservoir represent more than infrastructure; they represent a shift in our mindset from extraction to regeneration,” he said.

He further pointed to measures to make the public transportation system more energy efficient, with 100 electric buses to be added to the fleet, shortly, “reducing emissions and setting a precedent for clean mobility in the region”.

In addition, he said, “Our mangrove restoration efforts are expanding with the intention of restoring over 4,000 hectares of mangrove forest.”

Minister Samuda noted  that the mangroves provide natural defences against coastal erosion, support biodiversity, and absorb carbon far more efficiently than upland forests.

Increasing mangrove cover is part of Jamaica’s long-term emissions reduction and climate resilient strategy, which outline significant sectoral goals by 2050.

Other imperatives include generating 100 per cent of electricity from renewable sources, increasing the share of electric vehicles in the national passenger fleet to at least 67 per cent, and increasing forest cover by 150 hectares per year.

“And, because ambition must be matched by financing, the Jamaica Stock Exchange is creating a Green Bond Framework to unlock investments in sustainable development, while the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service is embedding climate risk into fiscal planning,” Minister Samuda said.

Noting that no policy framework or strategy can succeed without the people, he said the Administration’s focus is on supporting community-based climate adaptation, including initiatives to enable farmers to shift to drought-resilient crops, youth-led clean-up projects, and ecotourism activities in inland parishes.