Update Of National Climate Change Policy Framework In Progress

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation is currently in the process of finalising the update of the National Climate Change Policy Framework, says Acting Chief Technical Director in the Policy, Planning and Evaluation Division, Gillian Guthrie.

“We thought it was prudent to revise and update the policy to respond to emerging issues as well as the new developments that have occurred between 2016 and now. The policy was approved in 2016, and at that time the country had not yet ratified the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) at the Climate Change Convention in Poland, and since then, a lot has happened, both at the national and international levels,” Ms. Guthrie told JIS News.

She explained that the policy framework will speak to a lot of the issues in the Paris Agreement Work Programme, and there are obligations the country must uphold, such as the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) under the agreement.

“The INDC is the commitment Jamaica makes about how we plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emission. The policy will also speak to some new systems we hope to put in place to allow for transparency and accountability as it relates to carrying out this commitment,” Ms. Guthrie noted.

She added that the updated policy will also serve as a guide for various stakeholders’ response to climate change and facilitate the generation of more scientific data to form part of the policy and climate change actions.

Ms. Guthrie noted that the transport and energy sectors are actively engaged, as they are major producers of greenhouse gases, which are linked to climate change.

“The climate change division is actively working with these sectors to develop a plan which will speak to the actions that will be taken by them to reduce their greenhouse gas emission through various measures and strategies,” she said.

Ms. Guthrie said the Climate Change Policy Framework is important because it provides a road map as to how the country will move forward to tackle the issue of climate change.

“The framework also provides, in a succinct manner, the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in addressing climate change. The Climate Change Division of the Ministry plays an important role in coordinating the response to climate change, but a full buy-in is necessary as we remain focused on proactively implementing measures to mitigate the effects of climate change,” she noted.