Jamaicans will soon be held financially responsible for correcting activities that pollute the environment under the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle.
Acting chief technical director of the Policy, Planning and Evaluation Division of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Gillian Guthrie, told JIS News that the principle will be incorporated in all environmental policies and legislation.
It emerged from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, which states that individuals found guilty of polluting the environment, must be held responsible and pay for the act.
“This is something we want to have permeate both law and policy that where people pollute, they must be held responsible for the remediation and rehabilitation of the polluted site,” Guthrie said.
“We want to have this concept that all Jamaicans can understand and appreciate that it is not okay for you to undertake activities which have an impact, not only on yourself as an individual but also on others around you, and also have an adverse impact on the environment,” she added.
Guthrie noted that Jamaica is no stranger to the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle as the existing Air Quality Regulations is based on the rule.
