Dear Editor,

Sad to say there is going to be many more Hurricane Beryls wreaking havoc across the Caribbean, whether it’s during this hurricane season or other seasons to come.

Man has been at fault for years, accelerating his own demise based on his own actions or lack thereof. Hurricane Beryl sprang a frightening surprise by being the earliest Category 5 storm ever to form in the Atlantic. Will the effects of climate change cause man to change his own actions? I bet the answer would be “No”, even with the data obtained from the passage of Hurricane Beryl and the destruction left in its wake.

Schools in the Caribbean are not teaching climate change as a subject. It is not even being discussed in the homes or on political platforms. We have gone through two general elections since 2016 and climate change has not been a major line item in the manifesto of the party that won here in Jamaica.

One of the major indices of climate change in Jamaica is the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the thousands of motor vehicles that traverse our roads daily, yet our financial institutions continue to facilitate the increase in the number of vehicles by giving peppercorn interest rates to purchase those vehicles.

Additionally, plants are an integral part of the carbon cycle and absorb the CO2 from the atmosphere, but we continue to destroy our forest and trees.

No Government is bold enough to make legislative change or drive policies that will halt the effects of climate change. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, during his tour of the Beryl-ravaged south coast, briefly mentioned climate change, but he is the same prime minister who granted a licence for mining in the Cockpit Country which will result in thousands of trees being destroyed.

A next general election is in the air and we are waiting with bated breath to see which political party will be forward thinking and brave enough to make climate change a major issue in its manifesto.

Both parties must understand that climate change and how the two parties plan to deal with it will be a ballot box issue.

Fernandez Smith

fgeesmith@yahoo.com