Global warming could ruin economy – USAID mission director
THE CONTINUED failure of policymakers to recognise and move to address the potential fallout from climate change could have devastating consequences for Jamaica’s economy in the very near future.
Denise Herbol, mission director of United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/ Jamaica, last week Thursday called on Jamaicans to wake up to the reality of global warming and other climate- change issues, which are already impacting their way of life.
HURRICANE SANDY WARNING
Addressing the closing ceremony for a climate change adaptation/ risk management project for Cedar Valley, St Thomas, she quoted American environmentalist William McKibben who has authored a dozen books about the environment and whom TIME
Magazine describes as “the world’s best green journalist” in trying to impress upon the country the gravity of the situation.
Writing in the wake of Hurricane Sandy which devastated the coastlines of New Jersey and New York in the United States of America in October 2012, he said, “We’ve been given a warning by science and a wake-up call by nature. It is up to us now to heed them.”
Then Herbol added her own warning: “People remember what Hurricane Sandy did in the US, but Jamaica also suffered terribly because of that storm. We must ensure that we are ready in case of any future storms, and this project is part of that preparation. Statistics show that small-island developing states such as Jamaica will be the most affected by climate change. It’s true. Jamaica’s size, narrow economic base and history of natural disasters make it especially vulnerable.
“But at the same time, Jamaica is positioned to make a positive difference and be a regional leader, by developing and implementing policies and plans to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to comprehensively address the negative impacts of climate change and promote sustainable economic growth.”
Under the project funded by USAID which was designed and implemented by the Environmental Health Foundation, some 165 farmers received training in the areas of agriculture, irrigation, fire management, livelihood assessment, hazard mapping, vulnerability assessment and disaster risk management.