Panos Caribbean has urged the new prime minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, and his team to give priority to climate change, especially in light of developments at the Paris Climate Talks, held in December 2015.

Jamaica had a strong delegation present at the talks and has provided leadership on climate change matters for the Caribbean. Panos said it is hopeful that the momentum built coming out of Paris can be continued under the new government.

Under the new deal from the talks, issues such as climate financing and adaptation to climate change were clearly articulated. Jamaica stands to benefit from the provisions under the agreement if no time is lost in ratifying the agreement and fully implementing the island’s climate change policy framework and action plan.

There is already broad consensus from the local scientific community as to the need for urgent action on climate change. This is given the…