Bartlett: Diaspora should establish climate corps
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Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is suggesting that the Jamaican diaspora establish a ‘Diaspora Climate Corps’ consisting of a network of professionals, academics, business leaders and experts living abroad.
“This group will consist of brilliant, knowledgeable, experienced professionals, as well as connected persons across the diaspora who can come back and give Jamaica the benefit of their knowledge and experience in building out the resilience infrastructure of Jamaica,” said Bartlett.
He was speaking during the recently held 11th Biennial Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James that ran from June 14 to June 18. He was the featured presenter on a panel discussion looking at the theme ‘Secure Jamaica’s Future, Building National Climate Tourism’.
“While tourism continues its strong performance, climate change remains the industry’s most significant challenge,” he said.
Bartlett pointed out during the discussion that in tourism, perception can damage a destination faster than a hurricane. To this end, perception influences travel and confidence, and confidence is the currency of the industry.
“If Jamaica is to protect tourism in the climate where we must protect not only roads, airports, hotels and beaches, we must also protect trust,” he said.
The minister also stressed the importance of strengthening water, energy, and food security as part of the broader resilience strategy, noting the need to involve hotel workers and local communities in resilience-building efforts to ensure resources are distributed more effectively and equally.
Bartlett also called for members of the diaspora to play a more active role in strengthening the island’s tourism sector by investing in resilience-building initiatives and supporting efforts to achieve ambitious targets over the next decade.
He called for the diaspora to expand their contributions beyond remittances and become stakeholders in the country’s tourism industry through investments, expertise and global advocacy.
“You are the power that resides in critical spaces of influence and corridors of power. You interact with the leaders of the world and the financiers of the world. We want you to bring that kind of resource into Jamaica to enable the building of resilience, to enhance our ability to develop and grow and to expand the economy of Jamaica,” he told the attendees.
“Help finance solar systems, water systems, reef restoration, climate-smart agriculture, community tourism and resilience upgrades. Even modest investment, properly pooled and
professionally managed can become ownership. Even one per cent of remittance power can build real climate resilience,” he said.
He repeated the goal of attracting 10 million tourists and earning US$10 billion over the next 10 years, noting that achieving those targets would require greater input from the Jamaican diaspora around the world.
He urged Jamaicans in the diaspora to leverage their influence and international connections to support Jamaica’s development.