The Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JABBEM) is raising concerns that the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change lacks real regulatory authority, as the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is not under its jurisdiction.

It says, instead, NEPA remains under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), within the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

Jabbem’s President, Dr. Devon Taylor, argues that this arrangement allows the OPM to retain strategic control over the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) – the statutory body that manages and conserves the country’s natural resources.

Dr. Taylor says the decision threatens environmental protection by weakening oversight and undermining transparency.

Jabbem maintains that a Ministry of Environment lacking its regulatory body is an empty shell.

According to Dr Taylor, genuine environmental stewardship requires independence, transparency, and regulation, rather than what he calls political control.