Programme: PhD in Geography and Geology

Field of Study:  Current and Future Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives

Jhannel Tomlinson is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography and Geology, whose research seeks to assess the capacity of Community-based Organizations (CBOs) to effectively support current and future climate change adaptation initiatives. She has published academic papers on the preliminary findings of her work and has also been a part of multi-disciplinary teams, conducting research on agriculture, climate change and rural development.

In addition to her academic work, she is a youth climate activist who is a member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), Jamaica and is co-founder of Young People for Action on Climate Change (YPACC), Jamaica. She was a youth delegate at the Youth Climate Change Conference held in Kingston, 2017 and was a co-organizer in the local Rise for Climate event held in September 2018 , which brought together youth participants who revealed their fears, concerns and recommendations as it relates to climate change.

Her involvement in climate action both through academia and activism, led to her being selected as the Jamaican Youth delegate to attend the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, (COP24) held in Katowice, Poland in December 2018. During this conference, she was engaged in intense discussions and was invited to present on the factors contributing to the involvement of youth as change agents in the fight for a sustainable future. Since her involvement in the COP, she has been asked to participate in a host of local events including lectures, presentations and panel discussions.

She is currently a lead organizer for the Post-COP Youth Consultations being organized by the Climate Change Division (CCD) of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and was recently invited to attend the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, the most institutionalized avenue for youth participation in the work of the United Nations, scheduled for April this year.

The poise and passion of this young lady in taking a stand against climate change, helps to showcase that the youth have a critical role to play and if we all work together, we can raise ambition, accelerate climate solutions and help to create a more sustainable future for Jamaica.