By Vinette K. Pryce From Caribbean Life

Jamaica is taking the lead in hosting the Caribbean’s first ever symposium on Climate Change and World Heritage this month.

The unprecedented event will bring together 40 delegates from 12 Caribbean nations with existing World Heritage properties, policy makers and experts involved in climate change.

“We recognize the importance of cultural heritage in our nation’s development and the impact that climate change can have on heritage sites,” Olivia Grange, the island’s minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport said recently.

“Through the symposium we will be able to coordinate efforts and resources in the Caribbean to improve awareness and collaboration in preserving and safeguarding our tangible and intangible heritage resources.”

The announcement by the minister punctuated her message marking World Heritage Day on April 18. Acknowledged under the theme ‘Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism,’ the day’s presentations featured an explanation “that emerging from the symposium will be best practices to safeguard heritage sites based on the impact of climate change.”

She added that the decision to host the pioneering symposium is part of her ministry’s effort to secure a “strategic thrust to strengthen Jamaica’s presence in World Heritage.”

Already recognized by UNESCO for its heritage sites – Blue Mountain and John Crow mountain which were inscribed as a “mixed” site, in recognition of both the area’s natural uniqueness and its cultural values, the government of Jamaica “seeks to engage a variety of stakeholders, including high-level government representatives, the private sector, Jamaica’s development partners, non-government and community-based organizations, the media, and academia in frank and open discussion on several topics surrounding the issue of climate change.”

The island’s first heritage site encompasses “a forested, mountainous region in Jamaica’s southeast, which provided refuge first for the indigenous Tainos fleeing slavery and then for escaped African slaves known as Maroons. They resisted the European colonial system in the isolated region by establishing a network of trails, hiding places and settlements, which form the Nanny Town Heritage Route.”

The Paris Agreement, which was adopted at the Climate Change Summit in Paris two years ago, signals the commitment of the international community to combat climate change and its wide-ranging effects.

One year ago on Earth Day, during a special ceremony that convened at the United Nation, Jamaica joined then UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and representatives from more than 150 countries in signing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

”The agreement is especially important to Small Island Developing States, like Jamaica, which are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, including sea-level rise and coastal erosion.

Taking steps to address climate change at the national level, and supporting ambitious action at the global level, is central to Jamaica’s ongoing efforts to the achievement of sustainable development,” Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s foreign minister said.

Jamaica’s national energy policy, which formed the core of Jamaica’s submission to the global effort, commits the country to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 7.8 per cent of current levels.

Daryl Vaz, another parliamentarian responsible for economic growth and job creation, urged Jamaicans to take proactive steps to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

He outlined measures he said everyone could implement by practicing proper disposal of garbage, carpooling to reduce the carbon footprint, and conserving and recycling water.

He said saving energy is another crucial element in combating climate change.

He encouraged farmers to practice climate-smart agriculture.

“This sector is usually the most impacted by natural disasters, and this grouping is disproportionally affected by the loss of livelihood following a disaster.”

Vaz said mitigating the effects of climate change is important as the country aims to fulfill its obligations under the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees celsius.

By signing the agreement, Jamaica gains access to technology transfer and financial, technical and capacity-building support to address the impact of the phenomenon.

Jamaica signed the Instrument for Ratification on March 30.

On the 100th day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the People’s Climate Mobilization March amassed thousands to demonstrate in Washington, D.C., with the sole purpose of rejecting his “attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all.”

Attended by labor leaders, environmentalists, senior citizens, babies, tots and teenagers and a diverse ethnic representation, celebrities included actor Leonardo DiCaprio, former vice president Al Gore and British entrepreneur Richard Branson.

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