Dear Editor,
As many countries including Jamaica continue to grapple with extremely high energy costs, the debate continues to rage regarding what are the viable alternatives that will allow for a less costly and sustainable outcome that reduces dependence on fossil fuels.
As a youth advocate, this particular issue affects everyone and especially our youth. I did some research to identify some tips that our Government and key stakeholders should take into consideration. These tips include:
* The need for family planning. We have to make this readily available as the world races toward a population of 9 billion by 2050. Effective birth control needs to be made available to families to help limit ever-growing demand for limited resources. Research has also noted that empowering women to time their pregnancies would reduce carbon emissions significantly. This step alone would provide 8 to 15 per cent of the reductions needed to avert climate change;
* Banning landfills to force reductions in waste and re-using any waste that is produced;
* Finding ways to prioritise long-term, rather than short-term, decision making, including through reducing requirements for quarterly reporting by companies;
* Turning the power of public procurement toward greener purchasing;
* The need for political will and good policy will drive these needed shifts;
* Fossil fuel subsidies, especially for particularly polluting fuels like diesel, need to be phased out over time;
* We need to accelerate the 'circular' economy where resources are carefully conserved and, once used, are recovered, recycled and used again.
According to Karl Falkenberg of the European Commission: "We need to do things differently", and this doing things differently has to start fairly rapidly. The reality is that over 90% of Jamaica's electricity is produced from petroleum-based fuel coupled with outdated infrastructure. There has been talk about what needs to be done, but we must act now as our economy and livelihoods depend on action.
Javan Campbell
Programme Officer
Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network
How can we get to the 'Greener Economy'?
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As many countries including Jamaica continue to grapple with extremely high energy costs, the debate continues to rage regarding what are the viable alternatives that will allow for a less costly and sustainable outcome that reduces dependence on fossil fuels.
As a youth advocate, this particular issue affects everyone and especially our youth. I did some research to identify some tips that our Government and key stakeholders should take into consideration. These tips include:
* The need for family planning. We have to make this readily available as the world races toward a population of 9 billion by 2050. Effective birth control needs to be made available to families to help limit ever-growing demand for limited resources. Research has also noted that empowering women to time their pregnancies would reduce carbon emissions significantly. This step alone would provide 8 to 15 per cent of the reductions needed to avert climate change;
* Banning landfills to force reductions in waste and re-using any waste that is produced;
* Finding ways to prioritise long-term, rather than short-term, decision making, including through reducing requirements for quarterly reporting by companies;
* Turning the power of public procurement toward greener purchasing;
* The need for political will and good policy will drive these needed shifts;
* Fossil fuel subsidies, especially for particularly polluting fuels like diesel, need to be phased out over time;
* We need to accelerate the 'circular' economy where resources are carefully conserved and, once used, are recovered, recycled and used again.
According to Karl Falkenberg of the European Commission: "We need to do things differently", and this doing things differently has to start fairly rapidly. The reality is that over 90% of Jamaica's electricity is produced from petroleum-based fuel coupled with outdated infrastructure. There has been talk about what needs to be done, but we must act now as our economy and livelihoods depend on action.
Javan Campbell
Programme Officer
Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network
How can we get to the 'Greener Economy'?
-->