Social Impact with Emma » renewable energy : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Tourism’s Fragility Exposed

February 29th, 2020

I am not an economist (and I may well be corrected by my friend and fellow blogger Dennis Jones, who is!) but recent developments have given me the sense that Jamaica depends too heavily on two areas: Tourism and Bauxite Mining (an unsustainable activity – how much longer do we plan to go on mining? […]

Comparing Ourselves to Others: The Singapore Syndrome

November 9th, 2018

We Jamaicans have a bit of an obsession with Singapore, don’t we? Our romance with this small, densely populated country – some 18,000 miles away, with a population twice that of Jamaica – still lingers. Some of the passion may have waned, as romances tend to do, in the past few years. But what sparked […]

The Cliffhanger of Climate Change: Where Are the Citizens’ Voices?

June 10th, 2015

The French do love the word “citizen” (“citoyen” in French) and I like it, too. It signifies strength and purpose; someone who has a positive role to play in their nation. So on Monday morning, I was pleased to attend a “citizens’ debate” organized by the French Embassy in Jamaica, to discuss the broad issue of […]

Making The Case, Over and Over: On The Pathway to a Green Economy

February 24th, 2015

It was Kermit the Frog who sang, in that lugubrious voice of his: “It’s not easy being green…” For the Caribbean, it appears, it has not been easy so far to persuade regional governments and private sectors that greening our economies is the way to go. Speaking at the Caribbean Green Economy Conference 2015 in Kingston […]

Putting Down Rootz in Spanish Town

October 8th, 2014

Anticipation was in the air as we arrived at the gate of the St. Jago Cathedral Preparatory School in Spanish Town last Friday morning. Students were bustling around in small groups. Some trailed after their teachers with questions: “Miss!” Hot 102 FM was setting up in a shady corner, arranging wires and cables. On the […]

Islands on the Edge – Together

September 2nd, 2014

A few weeks ago, I attended the annual meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for a day. It was a celebration of the ISA’s twentieth anniversary, and the meeting was in celebratory mood. As I stepped into the conference room, I was immediately fascinated by a representative from the Asia-Pacific Group, standing by the […]