The recent recognition of Jamaican climate scientists Professor Donovan Campbell and Dr Shanecia Lester of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, is commended and welcomed.

They contributed to the Global Environment Outlook, Seventh Edition (GEO-7): A Future We Choose, and the recognition of their work should also offer renewed impetus to address the region’s response to mitigating climate change.

This newspaper has long urged that climate science be integrated into everyday decision-making, not confined to policy documents alone. The urgency is pressing today, after a succession of destructive storms, Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 and Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, which brought devastating floods to communities across Jamaica.

Sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic are above long-term averages, a condition that feeds stronger storms and more intense rainfall. Since 1993, sea levels in the Caribbean have risen by approximately 13-17 centimetres, which has increased storm surge, inundating low-lying areas.

In their contributions to GEO-7, the United Nations Environment Programme’s report on the state of the global environment, Campbell and Lester place Caribbean climate risk in a global context, highlighting how warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and rising seas intersect with social and economic fragilities. Their work further helps translate global climate data into a regional context.

The Gleaner has repeatedly warned that Caribbean governments risk locking in future losses if climate risk is not embedded in infrastructure, planning and investment decisions.

VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES

The brunt of climate change is borne primarily by vulnerable communities, which are struggling with limited resources, lack of structured and proper housing and weak social safety nets. Post-Hurricane Melissa, these low-income households faced the longest displacement and the slowest recovery.

Though Jamaica has taken steps to update building codes, piloting climate-smart agricultural techniques, and strengthening disaster response systems, there are gaps that need to be filled. Settlements still exist in proximity to river banks, gullies and other flood-prone areas.

Adverse weather patterns and the frequency of high-intensity hurricanes are adversely impacting the Caribbean. The severity of the storms continues to increase.

In 2024, Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, strengthened rapidly and swept through the region with destructive winds and dumping heavy rainfall. The Lesser Antilles islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada suffered extensive damage. Last October, Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica with catastrophic wind gusts of over 185 miles per hour and dumped over 300 millimetres of rainfall. Estimated damages range from US$8 billion to $15 billion, over 626,000 people were affected, and the storm resulted in 45 fatalities. At least 120,000 buildings in the western parishes lost their roofs.

The World Meteorological Organization reports that the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic has increased significantly over recent decades as a result of warming of the ocean. This, combined with rising sea levels, which have been estimated to have increased by 13–17 centimetres in the Caribbean since 1993, are causing storm surges which penetrate farther inland and amplify destruction. Sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic are above long-term averages, creating favourable conditions for stronger storms, heavier rainfall and longer and more severe hurricane seasons.

DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

Professor of climate science at The UWI, Michael Taylor, recently warned that climate change can no longer be treated as an environmental issue. This, he said, must be elevated to a national development priority as its cascading impacts increasingly threaten Jamaica’s economic stability, infrastructure and long-term growth prospects.

Prof Taylor, speaking at a public lecture in December, said Jamaica remains vulnerable to catastrophic losses from future natural disasters. He said the GDP loss from the next weather event will be “not because the country failed to fix the most obvious weaknesses exposed by previous disasters but because another overlooked, downstream sector could become the ignition point for widespread devastation.

“In a cascading system, partial resilience equates to no resilience at all”, he added.

It is vital for Jamaica to allocate climate adaptation funding and protect budget lines for climate work. This newspaper recommends that the government integrate climate risk into infrastructure planning and land-use decisions, with updated codes and enforcement. Rebuilding post-Hurricane Melissa must not just be a restoration of existing and salvageable infrastructure, but it must be improved and climate-resilient.

We reiterate our call for robust regional cooperation with uniform building standards, shared data platforms and pooled procurement of resilient materials and technologies. Conscientious efforts should be taken to protect and restore ecosystems that mitigate climate change impacts - mangroves, coral reefs and wetlands. Further, climate education needs to be mainstreamed across schools, universities and public institutions so that the next generation is equipped with the knowledge to innovate and adapt.

Climate change will continue to shape the planet. It is imperative to plan innovatively and effectively for tomorrow rather than repeatedly treading on the beaten path. The region faces clear, measurable risks, and that the pathways to resilience have to be evidence-based. From where we stand, the stakes can’t be any higher.