Fostering change through environmental networking

In the age of climate crisis, we need collaborative efforts to meet pressing environmental challenges. We must bring together diverse stakeholders to exchange ideas, share knowledge, encourage impactful solutions, and advocate policy change. We believe environmental networking events is a powerful platform to serve such efforts. These events can foster knowledge exchange and experiences among experts, amateurs, aficionados, and youth.

Cross-pollinating ideas solves problems creatively and makes environmental initiatives more effective. Connecting professionals from academia, industry, government, and civil society can build partnerships that amplify awareness of existing initiatives and available experts. In this article, we explore heat and drought-related climate change events in Jamaica and how to use environmental networking as a response to spur climate action and mitigate harmful impacts.

Last August, the Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP) and other environmentalists held such an event in Kingston. This was our first face-to-face meeting since the onset of the 2020 pandemic. It was a useful opportunity for in-person discussions about critical environmental issues locally, regionally, and globally. The participants included professionals from several key organisations.

ERRATIC WEATHER PATTERNS

Jamaica has recently experienced erratic weather patterns. This hurts our ecosystems, agriculture, water supply, and overall well-being. Rising temperatures bring prolonged heat waves that affect human health, strain energy resources, and stress ecosystems. Vulnerable populations risk heat-related illnesses, underscoring the need for adaptive measures and community-support systems. Water scarcity from droughts across the island have brought agricultural losses. Crop failures threaten food security and the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities. They erode the economic gains from valuable cash crops such as our world-leading coffee, cocoa, and other agricultural produce that support people and industries.

The climate crisis in Jamaica is also hurting our unique biodiversity, which includes coral reefs, tropical forests, and endemic species. Rising sea temperatures cause coral bleaching while droughts and changing precipitation negatively affect many native species’ habitats. This can disrupt our tourism, a core economic pillar. Tourists come to Jamaica for our pristine beauty and to snorkel and dive on our reefs. But these reefs now suffer from climate events that spoil our attractions and hurt livelihoods.

The event created a welcoming space for experts, activists, policymakers, and communities. We were able to informally discuss challenges and solutions and find ways to implement adaptive measures. Building resilient communities and ecosystems needs this kind of stakeholder collaboration, which cannot be underestimated in our fight against what many see as an existential threat. Climate action also requires financial resources, not always easy for community organisations to access. Professional environmental networks harbour enough experts to help identify funding and lend legitimacy to their efforts.

IMPACTFUL PROJECTS

The networks also connect organisations and resources to enable larger, more impactful projects. Their size and reach help to bring support for and awareness of environmental initiatives. By connecting stakeholders, sharing knowledge, and advocating for climate action, networks can spur meaningful change. They can help Jamaica and other vulnerable regions mitigate and adapt to climate-change challenges.

We see environmental networking events being integrated into larger development initiatives. We want to embrace other visions that bring energy and power to the adaptations we design and create. This way, they can better serve as catalysts for ongoing change.

There have been continued fruitful discussions since our August meeting. These have led to the exchange of critical information and data by experts to help professionals needing supporting expertise for research projects and workshop development. This is particularly important for strengthening studies on climate-change mitigation and adaptation strategies and raising awareness of current climate-action activities.

From a personal perspective, our discussions with other environmental professionals offer hope for the future: from work done to protect and restore natural assets for future generations and opportunities to overcome environmental crises; from biodiversity loss to rapid climate-related changes. The discussions show they are surmountable, and add an element of light-heartedness, warmth, and joyful interaction in a sector often plagued by negative data trends on environmental challenges and losses.

The networking interactions also keep us more informed in our day-to-day activities as environmental professionals and advocates to strengthen our work and capacities. They help us avoid duplication of activities and efforts while being able to reference the hard work already undertaken by experienced teams in this space. This is valuable in the context of finite and limited resources. All are welcome to these types of environmental networking events. We have already seen examples of knowledge sharing across all industries, with the communications agencies and consultants who seek to learn more about the issues.

The synergy from this environmental networking event and others we are planning can be a powerful force in the fight against climate change. Such events have transformative potential in building resilience and sustainability in Jamaica. The time for action is now!

Asia Williams is blue economy manager at the Waitt Institute. Lori-Ann Harris is interim vice-president of the JIEP Council and president of the Natural History Society of Jamaica. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.