Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie | Promises without timelines: Jamaica’s environmental future needs accountability

IN THE lead-up to the recent general elections, both political parties made promises about how they would manage and protect Jamaica’s natural environment. With the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) new term now underway, it is important to look closely at their commitments – several of which are not new. The next five years are especially critical because they take us almost to 2030 – the year by which Jamaica is meant to achieve Goal 4 of Vision 2030’s promise that “Jamaica has a healthy natural environment”.

ASPIRATIONS WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY

During the May 2025 Sectoral Debate, Minister Matthew Samuda, the then minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for water, environment, climate change, and the blue and green economies listed multiple pieces of legislation and regulations that, after years of delay, would finally be addressed. Only a few specific policies were identified to be finalised in the present fiscal year, including the Beach Access and Management Policy. Several critical long-delayed proposed legislation and regulations received only vague assurances of “heavy focus”, including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations. The ratification of the Escazu Agreement was promised to be “fast-tracked” by amending the Access to Information (ATI) Act, but only specific to the Government’s environmental agencies, however those are to be defined.

He also unveiled a Twenty-Point roadmap, dubbed Ja-Sustain. He described the latter as being rooted in the Jamaican Government’s “deep commitment to improve levels of environmental protection, increase the capacity for monitoring and enforcing our laws, and significantly increase our restoration efforts where degradation has taken place”. Many of the points raised were also included in the JLP’s 2025 Manifesto which was subsequently released. Unfortunately, many of these important aspirations lacked clear timelines.

Among the new initiatives, Minister Samuda proposed setting up a working group with members of civil society and the Jamaica Constabulary Force to look at environmental enforcement. He also suggested a committee of civil society representatives to review and recommend reforms to strengthen the Natural Resources Conservation Act and the Wild Life Protect Act. These reforms would give the National Environment and Planning Agency, the Forestry Department, Mines and Geology Division, and the Water Resources Authority stronger tools to do their jobs. This is a welcome shift, but the truth is, weak monitoring and enforcement have long been among Jamaica’s biggest environmental problems. Civil society has raised this repeatedly for years on various committees and fora. So, the call for a focus on enforcement is long overdue and while the initiative proposed by the minister is promising, it must be more than symbolic and deliver real reform, not just another round of consultations.

Jamaica signed the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Protocol in 1990 but has yet to ratify it; the ATI has needed review and amendment since at least 2011 and now the intention to restrict improvement to the “environmental agencies” is worrying; and EIA regulations have been “imminent” for over a decade. These examples underscore that commitments alone are not enough; they must be backed by clear, actionable pathways that allow citizens to participate in decision-making and hold governments accountable.

CRITICAL GAPS

Additionally, while modernising laws, ratifying treaties, and restoring ecosystems are all essential, one glaring omission stands out: neither the Sectoral Debate presentation nor the JLP Manifesto addressed the need to halt future degradation from industries like mining and tourism. These sectors remain two of the most persistent drivers of environmental harm.

The bauxite-alumina industry – a sunset industry in Jamaica, given the country’s finite reserves – continues to cause irreparable damage to the environment and public health, yet is still promoted as an important economic contributor by the Government of Jamaica. Tourism, meanwhile, often prioritises short-term gains over long-term sustainability. Coastal development has degraded fragile ecosystems, increased climate vulnerability, and restricted access to beaches for many Jamaicans. While both industries contribute to GDP, tax revenues, and employment, the benefits are unevenly distributed. Many local communities bear the environmental costs without seeing meaningful improvements in quality of life. If the Government is serious about environmental justice, it must confront these contradictions head-on.

ROOT CAUSES UNADDRESSED

Earlier this year, the Jamaica Environment Trust, alongside 33 other civil society groups issued a document ‘Advancing Environmental Protection and Governance in Jamaica: Recommendations for Action’. The document urged the Government of Jamaica to move beyond incremental progress and commit to bold, time-bound measures over the next five years.

It called for reforms across six priority areas, including limiting discretionary ministerial powers, proactively publishing permits and licenses online, and using citizen science to strengthen monitoring. While some of these recommendations appeared in the Ja-Sustain Plan and the JLP Manifesto, once again most lacked mechanisms for delivery – and others were ignored entirely.

FROM PROMISES TO ACCOUNTABILITY

Environmental laws and regulations are only as strong as their enforcement. If polluters and developers can break the rules without consequence, then the laws become meaningless. Accountability must also extend to state agencies – government cannot ask citizens and businesses to follow standards it does not itself uphold.

To close the gap between promises and reality, both government and civil society must act. The government must:

• Attach clear timelines, benchmarks and targets to the Ja-Sustain Plan and manifesto commitments and share them publicly;

• Provide quarterly public updates on progress;

• Establish transparent oversight mechanisms, including civil society participation and a public dashboard;

• Clarify the status of promised working groups and legislative reforms, with published terms of reference;

Civil society, community groups and concerned individuals must:

• Continue to mobilise public support through media, outreach, and education;

• Independently track and publish progress independently, if government fails to do so;

• Use legal and policy tools to challenge harmful development and push for reform;

• Build cross-sector coalitions that link environmental justice to health, education, and fairness.

Despite the urgency of these issues, the only environmental reference in Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness’ inaugural address on September 16, 2025, was a brief mention of clean energy transition. While an inaugural speech is not a fulsome policy statement, we must hope this does not indicate a lack of understanding that a strong economy and vibrant society rests on a healthy natural environment.

Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, PhD, is an environmental scientist and chief executive officer of Jamaica Environment Trust. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com