Business View Caribbean | June 2019

4 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN JUNE 2019 and community members came together in different parts of Jamaica — Kingston, Lionel Town, Ridge Red Bank, and White River, for four days of workshops during the months of March and April. There, they honed their communication skills and learned about the impact of climate change. Powerful lyrics emerged, ideas flowed and eye-opening field trips provided on-the-ground perspectives: “Mother Earth she bawls; Deep in the forest where the trees fall; Look upon the reef, see the fish how small; Give them a little time, make them grow big and tall.” With Panos’ launch of a new Caribbean theme song for Earth Day, the Jamaican group is booked solid for school and community concerts, as well as the Read Across Jamaica initiative and tree- planting sessions. Lyrics like these, delivered to a roots reggae rhythm and infused with dancehall vibes, somehow manage to hit home: “Mother Nature yearns for life; The more the factories burn, she cries; “When will we learn and be wise? The more the ice caps melt, the sea rise.”” The climate change crisis in 2019 is even more urgent than it was four years ago and, in Jamaica, rural citizens from farmers to fisherfolk are heeding the wake-up call