Former Member of Parliament (MP) Raymond Pryce known as for a complete coverage framework to deal with catastrophe mitigation and scale back Jamaica’s dependence on imported fossil fuels by switching to photo voltaic vitality.
Pryce recommended {that a} pilot venture in Portmore Pines, St Catherine East Central, would generate enough empirical knowledge inside 12 months, forming the premise for a nationwide framework for the enlargement of photo voltaic housing.
Talked to The GathererPryce, an environmental advocate, and present People’s National Party consultant for St Catherine East Central, emphasised the necessity for a particular initiative at each stage of presidency in Jamaica.
“Each municipal company ought to convene a particular assembly to deal with their capability to answer rising dangers and extra dangers offered by typhoons and different climate circumstances,” he mentioned.
He proposed an analogous course of on the parliamentary stage, the place all 63 MPs can be known as to a particular sitting of the House.
“We want to take a look at how we construct our nationwide price range and respect the rapid and extra dangers and risks that come up from climate circumstances like Hurricane Beryl,” Pryce mentioned.
Pryce emphasised that points associated to the aftermath of hurricanes and climate programs shouldn’t be addressed in a reactive method.
“We have to alter the design of the best way we price range the nation’s sources, the best way the state operates. We should even be able to make some transformative selections, similar to fast-tracking the diversification of the electrical grid and transferring away from fossil fuels to renewables.
Emphasizing the pressing want for motion, Pryce mentioned, “Much of what I’ve coated in my research of the setting and local weather change mitigation, which was thought prior to now, is now settled science. Fossil fuels are most important supply of carbon emissions, which warms the ambiance and exacerbates the worsening scenario by way of warmth waves, extra frequent and adversarial climate occasions, and adjustments in conventional local weather patterns.
Get critical about photo voltaic
He pointed to photo voltaic vitality because the quickest and best path to mitigation.
“Jamaica must be critical about measurable methods to make using photo voltaic vitality extra widespread by facilitating entry to photo voltaic era on the family stage,” he mentioned.
Referring to the monetary struggles confronted by many retired residents in communities similar to Caymanas Gardens, Hamilton Gardens, Cedar Grove, Southboro, Morris Meadows, and Meadowvale in St Catherine East Central, Pryce defined, “Many of the residents and tag -retired at dwelling. They dwell on fastened pensions and, for a lot of, are at some extent of their lives the place they now not acknowledge any further supply of earnings. We are speaking about retired law enforcement officials, firefighters, academics, and different public and civil servants who haven’t but paid their money owed.
Pryce argues that know-how is more practical and inexpensive at this time, requiring solely adjustments within the responsibility regime and inspiring partnerships with the personal sector, which could be achieved with the appropriate management.
He emphasised that Jamaica’s commitments underneath the Paris Agreement at COP21 will likely be extra simply achieved with the decisive actions of visionary leaders.
“In the present state of affairs, there is no visionary management within the sector,” lamented Pryce. “Even not too long ago, stakeholders within the sector complained bitterly concerning the absence of a coverage framework that might trigger extra companies and industries to incorporate photo voltaic vitality of their enterprise mannequin. which is correct by frameworks for residential photo voltaic on a large scale in Jamaica at this time.
