Improving energy efficiency and increasing the share of renewables among Jamaica’s energy mix will be crucial to the country’s Green Economy transition, two new UNEP studies have found.

The Green Economy Scoping Study for Jamaica focuses on five key economic sectors: agriculture, tourism, construction, energy and water and sewerage, which account for more than 22 per cent of the country's GDP and more than 33 per cent of its labour force.

The Vision 2030: Jamaica and Green Economy publication meanwhile highlights links between Jamaica’s existing national long-term development plan and what an inclusive Green Economy may look like.

Imported petroleum currently makes up 90% of Jamaica’s energy supply, making the country highly vulnerable to external shocks. Significant amounts of water are currently pumped across Jamaica’s hilly terrain, requiring a large amount of energy. The studies, carried out from Geneva, recommend developing local catchment facilities and developing waste water recycling in order to reduce this demand for example.

The studies were launched at an event titled Green Economy: A Tool for Sustainable Development in Kingston on 22 March. The meeting was funded by the EU’s Advancing Caribbean States’ Sustainable Development Through Green Economy project.

For more information please click here or write to chiara.moroni@unep.org