{May-Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica} Draw the Line: Power Communities, Reverse the Flow

Draw the Line: Power Communities-Reverse the Flow

Climate change is reshaping lives across Jamaica, with the most vulnerable paying more while gaining less. The fragile are at greatest risk, and the poor have limited means to cope. Insecurities are deepening as Jamaica’s older population grows (65+ now stands at 8% and rising), yet many younger relatives face their own disempowerment and economic struggles, limiting their ability to provide support.

A recent survey of teachers, students, healthcare workers, patients, and outdoor workers revealed that communities feel little is being done to help them adapt to worsening heat. Teachers, in particular, are struggling to function in overheated classrooms, while students from socio-economically challenged households are falling behind in grades and performance. Despite these realities, the impacts of extreme heat on education and wellbeing remain largely overlooked in public discussions.

Draw the Line, Power Communities, Reverse the Flow is a call for climate justice for Jamaica’s most vulnerable. Too often, political and commercial interests prioritize their own gain while communities on the ground are left struggling with the real impacts of climate change. High-level meetings and promises rarely translate into tangible action for the poor, the elderly, and those already on the frontlines of heat, drought, and storms.

We demand that resources and aid flow directly to the people who need them most. Leaders must be intentional about climate justice, ensuring funds reach communities, not just conferences and boardrooms. Commercial entities should end the race for global climate funds that sidelines grassroots organizations who are best placed to deliver real change.

We want to empower communities with knowledge, to understand climate science, resilience, and data, and to use that knowledge to transform their lives. We want communities themselves to make a bold statement that speaks directly to leaders:

Aid must be smart, just, and intentional — directed toward genuine adaptation, policy implementation, and climate justice, not elite capture or symbolic projects.