Earth Today | Preparing for back to school in a changing climate

ANOTHER SCHOOL year is beginning, and many Jamaican parents are focused on the familiar back-to-school checklist: Do the children have everything they need? How will they get to and from school? But there is one question we cannot afford to overlook: What kind of environment are we sending them into every day?

Our children are growing up at a time when extreme heat, prolonged dry spells and pressure on water supplies are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore because of climate change. These conditions affect not only our comfort but also influence the food we grow, the prices we pay, the health of our communities, and the conditions in which children are expected to learn.

When drought and intense heat affect our farmers, families feel the impact at the market and around the dinner table. Fresh produce can become more expensive and less accessible, particularly for households already managing limited budgets. At the same time, we are concerned about another challenge facing our children: poor nutrition and childhood obesity.