Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie | From long-awaited change to urgent action

For many Jamaicans, Hurricane Melissa will be remembered as one of the most devastating events of 2025. Its impacts were severe, affecting homes, livelihoods, infrastructure, and communities across the island.

In the months since the hurricane, we have been reminded how deeply we depend on healthy natural systems, and how much more vulnerable we become when those systems are damaged by poor environmental management and the growing climate crisis. In the aftermath of the storm, this is an important moment to take stock of where progress has been made, and what still needs to be done.

In 2025, Jamaica recorded several important improvements in environmental governance. These changes did not happen quickly, and they were not inevitable. They were the result of sustained effort and persistence by many different actors over decades.

Progress included the ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, a commitment to ratify the Escazú Agreement, updated air quality regulations, increased fines under the Wildlife Protection Act (from J$100,000 to J$5,000,000) and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act (from J$50,000 to J$5,000,000), and greater oversight of legal cases involving the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

We may never know whether it was a letter, a campaign, a petition, or a protest that finally tipped the balance, but we do know this: sustained pressure works. These developments matter not as achievements to celebrate and move on from, but as foundations to build on in 2026.

A LESSON IN RESILIENCE

Hurricane Melissa exposed how vulnerable our infrastructure remains, while also reinforcing a broader lesson that science has long made clear: healthy ecosystems play an important role in reducing risk. Coastal wetlands, forests, and well-maintained drainage systems are widely recognised as part of a country’s natural defence against flooding, erosion, and landslides. When these systems are degraded, communities are left more exposed. Resilience must be built not only into our landscapes, but also into the systems that govern and protect them. Strong enforcement, transparency, and accountability are just as important as healthy ecosystems and basic infrastructure.

FROM A FIVE-YEAR AGENDA TO ONE-YEAR ACHIEVABLE ACTIONS

In July 2025, a group of civil society organizations and individuals identified six priority areas requiring urgent and sustained action to strengthen Jamaica’s environmental governance. These were outlined in a document titled Advancing Environmental Protection and Governance in Jamaica: Recommendations for Action, which was prepared following meetings with both political parties and shared with them.

From this agenda, the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) has identified a set of actions that can, and must, be achieved within 2026, even as the country continues to recover from Hurricane Melissa.

Achievable Priorities for 2026

• Finalise and enforce Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations- For decades, Environmental Impact Assessments have been criticised as box-ticking exercises. The drafting of these regulations is already included in Jamaica’s Second National Action Plan under the Open Government Partnership submitted in 2024. Its completion would ensure that developments are properly assessed, communities are consulted, and environmental risks are addressed before projects are approved.

• Finalize and publish the Beach Access Policy- Beaches are not just recreational spaces; they are cultural, economic, and ecological lifelines. Public access to beaches has been debated for far too long, and a clear policy is long overdue.

• Ratify the Escazú Agreement, a landmark international treaty aimed at ensuring access to information, public participation, and justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean- Jamaica signed the agreement in 2019, signalling intent, but has not yet ratified it. In 2025, the government committed to doing so, subject to amendments to the Access to Information Act – but no timeline has been provided. Ratification would strengthen transparency and accountability and empower citizens to engage meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives.

• Ensure proactive, online access to environmental permits and licences- Communities should not learn about developments only after bulldozers arrive. Making permits easily available online would allow for earlier public awareness and engagement.

• Strengthen complaint mechanisms for citizens- Too often, reports of environmental breaches disappear into bureaucratic silence. Establish clear complaint mechanisms for citizens, including avenues for tracking action taken by regulators after the complaint has been made. A robust and responsive system would restore confidence that complaints are taken seriously and acted upon.

• Escalate action against repeat offenders- Repeat violators of environmental law should face stronger consequences, including refusal of permits based on a history of non-compliance. Strong enforcement would deter reckless practices and show that environmental laws matter.

• Introduce administrative penalties for environmental breaches- Begin the process of amending legislation to allow for administrative penalties in minor cases, such as failing to display an environmental permit. These penalties would not replace criminal proceedings in serious cases but serve as a complementary measure to address several common violations.

• Ratify the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol) – Jamaica signed the protocol in 1990 but has not yet ratified it. Ratification would strengthen regional biodiversity protection and help safeguard important species and ecosystems.

All of these actions are achievable within 2026, even given the challenges presented by the hurricane. This is not a fixed or exhaustive list, and we welcome discussion on reshaping these priorities, and recognise that there are many other important actions identified in earlier recommendations that could be advanced instead. What matters most is that Jamaica moves from discussion to delivery, and that 2026 is treated as a year for concrete, measurable progress.

Change often feels impossible – until it happens. Jamaica’s environmental gains in 2025 show that persistence matters and that advocacy can deliver real results. In 2026, the task is not to slow down, but to build on that momentum.

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