"SCORCHING temperatures are a reality this summer, Jamaica is in need of a heat plan, one that outlines a clear response to the sweltering heat and with special consideration for the most vulnerable in the population.

So says acclaimed climate scientist, Professor Michael Taylor, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at The University of the West Indies, Mona.

“We do need a heat policy and plan in the country. We have easily seen how it (heat) disrupts lives and the quality of life. It is not just feeling uncomfortable. The most vulnerable are affected – the elderly and the very young – and anybody who has to work outside. And, currently, we leave it up to people to say, ‘Well, we can’t spend this amount of hours outside’,” he told The Gleaner.

“We are still in school right now, and they (children) have physical education and so on. So when it gets too hot, who ensures that you have the cooling stations? What about the homeless? What about cooling shelters? All of these things should be covered under some kind of policy or plan that says, when certain thresholds are reached, this is what we must do. We need something for heat in the same way that we have for other emergencies,” added Taylor, who also has responsibility for the Climate Studies Group Mona."

Read more below: