KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 12 2015 – Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister Robert Pickersgill, is encouraging the nation’s youth to become more informed and involved in educating the public about climate change adaptation.
“Plant a tree to protect our watersheds; trees are one of the planet’s natural cleaners. They take in carbon dioxide and send out life giving oxygen. They also protect our watersheds by binding the soil so it doesn’t wash down into our water sources. The more trees we plant, the better our environment will be,” he informed.
Pickersgill also encouraged youngsters to learn as much as possible about renewable energy, in light of dwindling fossil fuel resources and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Talk to your parents or school board about the possibility of switching to cleaner, greener forms of energy such as solar,” he advised.
As part of its thrust to heighten public awareness about climate change, the Climate Change Division hosted the logo competition to encourage the involvement of young persons in the department’s sensitisation campaign, targeting adaptation measures and practices.
The competition, which ran from September 2014 to February this year, saw students from 13 secondary and tertiary institutions islandwide participating, each of whom submitted colourful pieces of artwork depicting the message of conservation of the country’s natural resources.
