PNP’s Newell says gov’t still falling short on environmental promises

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Spokesperson on Environment and Climate Resilience, Omar Newell, says the Government continues to announce environmental commitments without delivering the meaningful reforms and enforcement Jamaica urgently needs.

According to a People’s National Party (PNP) release on Tuesday, Newell, while contributing to the 2026/2027 Sectoral Debate in Parliament, argued that while the administration frequently speaks about resilience and sustainability, communities across the country are still grappling with flooding, poor drainage, collapsing roads, deforestation, pollution, and weak environmental enforcement.

“Resilience is not measured by speeches,” Newell said. “It is measured by delivery. It is measured by whether promises become policy, whether policy becomes law, whether law becomes enforcement, and whether enforcement changes lives.”

The Opposition spokesperson questioned the status of several environmental commitments previously announced by the Government, including updated Environmental Impact Assessment regulations, wastewater and sludge regulations, strengthened air quality rules, hazardous waste regulations, and broader modernisation of environmental enforcement systems.

“Too many announcements. Too little execution,” Newell declared.

He warned that the consequences of delayed environmental action are increasingly being felt by ordinary Jamaicans through worsening flooding, deteriorating infrastructure, pressure on water systems, and mounting public health concerns.

Newell also pointed to Jamaica’s growing solid waste crisis, arguing that poor garbage collection schedules, weak enforcement, indiscriminate dumping, and inadequate recycling infrastructure continue to contribute to clogged drains and preventable flooding across communities.

“Environmental laws without enforcement become mere public relations exercises,” he said.

Among the measures proposed by Newell were stronger environmental penalties, expanded environmental warden systems, modern waste separation programmes, increased recycling investment, and greater producer responsibility for large-scale waste generators.

He also raised concerns about water security and emerging contaminants affecting Jamaica’s water systems, including pharmaceutical waste, industrial chemicals, agricultural runoff, wastewater seepage, and microplastics.

“Environmental health is public health,” Newell argued. “We cannot claim to protect public health while ignoring long-term groundwater quality.”

Newell stressed that environmental protection can no longer be treated as secondary to development and called for greater urgency, transparency and accountability in the implementation of environmental policy.