The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is urging citizens to take seriously the heat wave warnings that Jamaica is presently experiencing.

In a statement today (August 5), the PNP said that this is a timely reminder that “climate change is real and will continue to become more challenging for us, especially as a Small Island Developing State, despite actions to adapt and mitigate”.

For her part, Senator Sophia Frazer-Binns, Opposition Spokesperson on Environment and Climate Change, noted that it is projected that in 2023, Kingston, Jamaica’s capital city, will experience climate departure.

Climate departure is when the environment is so impacted by climate change that the old climate is left behind; that is, the highest temperature recorded for a particular area between 1960 and 2005 becomes the lowest temperature for that area. This will become the new norm.

Ahead of ‘sure disaster’, the PNP is appealing to the Government “to lead from the front” in everything to “lessen the impact of climate change on our people, including nationwide public education”.

“As the country experiences this heat wave, the Opposition encourages all persons to stay indoors as much as possible, keep hydrated and look out for the most vulnerable, the elderly and young,” the statement read.

“As a nation, we must work together to deal with this new norm, and the Opposition stands ready to support the Government’s initiatives to reduce the effects of climate change,” it continued.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health and Wellness issued an advisory for Jamaicans to reduce the likelihood of heat exposure, given rising temperatures across the country.

Elderly Jamaicans and children are chief among the at-risk groups warned to take precautions, the ministry said.

• READ: Health Ministry urges Jamaicans to reduce heat exposure