Taking a Dim View of 2050’: Joe Issa Urges Support for Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing Today

Joe Issa gingerly looks into 2050 expecting not to like what he sees, if what scientists today say comes true, and as it happened he didn’t.

Left in awe, Issa laments a world which had 9.1 billion people to feed and climate change had taken its toll on land and sea, making it difficult just to survive, let alone to farm and graze animals and find fish to catch.

He sees, in particular, the devestation unlashed by climate change in India and the Caribbean. The former, the most populous country with 1.7 billion people had suffered from a 30 % drop in agricultural yield while the latter had few fishes left in its waters.

 

“When you have family and friends it’s not easy to brush aside what the scients are saying today, especially when you read of things that are happening around the world now, which never used to happen before.

“The days are getting hotter, the hurricanes fewer and fiercier, coastal lands eroding rapidly, and droughts are becoming more frequent and lasting longer.

“The impact is most felt by agriculture and livestock, which need water as its prime imput; as well as fishing, which needs unpolluted water to florish,” Issa said, in an interview about the reality of global warming and the need to protect the livelihood of the majority of populations around the world " agriculture, livestock and fishing.

While acknowleging a lot needs to be done to avert the 2050 predictions, Issa said he was pleased with efforts by the authorities to protect Jamaica’s water sources, their focus on irregation and other means of bringing water to agriculture and livestock farmers, the strides that have been made towards clamping down on praedial larceny, and the measures that have been taken to protect the country’s fish sanctuaries.

Issa’s gas stations throughout the country are participating in a programme to recycle plastics, which is a major pollutant of both land and sea. He has also advocated for a reduction in global temperatures, most notably ahead of the Climate Change Conference in Paris.

Research shows that “well over half of the developing world's population " 3.1 billion people, or 45 percent of all humanity " live in rural areas. Of them, roughly 2.5 billion derive their livelihoods from agriculture.”