Letter of the Day | Is climate change becoming Jamaica’s greatest security threat?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

We rarely think of hurricanes, droughts, rising sea levels, or extreme heat as security threats. Yet one of the greatest threats to Jamaica’s stability may not come from criminals or hostile actors, but from a changing climate.

According to the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, more than 96 per cent of the population and gross domestic product (GDP) are exposed to two or more natural hazards, including hurricanes, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and landslides. 

Hurricane Melissa, was the strongest hurricane ever recorded to make landfall on the island. Subsequent post-disaster assessments suggested that total damage and losses may have exceeded US$12 billion, nearly 57 per cent of GDP. 

A single climate event now has the potential to inflict economic damage comparable to a national crisis. When critical infrastructure fails, emergency response operations are hindered, businesses close, healthcare services are interrupted, supply chains are disrupted, and entire communities can become isolated.

Security experts increasingly describe climate change as a ‘threat multiplier’ because it intensifies existing social, economic, and security vulnerabilities. Climate-related disasters can exacerbate poverty, increase food insecurity, strain public resources, and heighten social tensions within already vulnerable communities.

The economic implications are equally significant. Agriculture is highly vulnerable to prolonged droughts, changing rainfall patterns, and increasingly severe storms. Additionally, much of Jamaica’s critical infrastructure including ports, airports, tourism facilities, and major economic centres is concentrated along the coastline, making these assets increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and storm surges.

Countries like Barbados and Dominica, have already accelerated investments in climate-resilient infrastructure and disaster-resilient development, recognizing that resilience is fundamental to long-term national security and economic stability. Resilience must become a whole-of-government and whole-of-society priority.

Integrating climate resilience into national security planning, infrastructure development, land-use policies, business continuity strategies, and long-term economic planning is therefore essential. Investments in climate adaptation, early warning systems, coastal protection, and resilient infrastructure are investments in Jamaica’s future security, stability, and prosperity.

The cost of climate inaction is being measured increasingly in economic losses, social disruption, and national vulnerability. 

If a single hurricane can inflict losses equivalent to more than half of the GDP, can Jamaica afford to continue treating climate change primarily as an environmental issue rather than as one of the defining national security challenges?

RENÉE WATKIS