Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says that Jamaica continues to invest in technology and develop mechanisms that enable the country to mitigate the risks associated with climate change. He says the country has a long way to go but there is political commitment and technical expertise to implement the required systems. “Jamaica is no less vulnerable…we have a long way to go if we are to bring political commitment to meet with investment to meet with implementation. But we certainly can acknowledge that there is political will, there is technical expertise to ensure that we complete these early warning systems,” stated Minister Samuda. Minister Samuda was addressing a session, yesterday (October 24, 2023), organized by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) at Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week being held in Panama City. “Through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, which falls under the Prime Minister, we have launched a few mechanisms that force agencies and MDAs (Ministries, Agencies and Departments)generally to work together. One is the Integrated Water Resource Management Council (IWRMC) which brings all things water, all things weather together into regular quarterly meetings” the Minister noted. He noted however that the drought conditions over the last three years have impacted the country’s mitigation efforts. “Through the cooperation with the Meteorological Service and the Water Resources Authority (WRA), the government is moving to develop early warning systems and long-term measuring metrics to ensure that we know where we are. The issue Jamaica has had over the last three years is chronic droughts. So the need for coordination and using the systems is important but after going through an extended drought period an afternoon shower can set off an alarm for the Met Service because unexpected rainfall can become a flood.” He explained that “what we now have is the skewing of norms. The statistical norms no longer allow you to predict how your systems will react to normal weather events, and that is why coordination is so particularly important. It is through this cooperation that we are looking to develop early warning systems and long-term measurable metrics to make sure we are sharing these”.Other mechanisms cited by the Minister include the launch of the Building Resilience Through Climate Adaptation Technologies (BReTCAT) project, the launch of the Met Service’s weather app, the Bush Fire Warning Index, as well as the Jamaica Systemic Risk Assessment Tool, as important mechanisms in increasing the island’s response to risk and building its resilience to climactic impacts. He pointed to the country’s intention to digitize its networks over the next three years, including rain gauges as well as hydrological meters, and added that the new S-Band Doppler Radar was nearing completion. The session by the CMO coincided with its 50th anniversary celebrations. Jamaica is one of the founding members of the CMO. –30–
