Belém, Brazil – Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Matthew Samuda, delivered a powerful address to the plenary at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Minister Samuda opened by expressing Jamaica’s deep appreciation to the Government of Brazil for hosting this critical conference and commended COP30 President, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, for his leadership. He urged delegates to renew their collective commitment to keeping the 1.5°C target within reach, emphasizing its importance for vulnerable nations.
In his statement, Minister Samuda presented stark and compelling evidence of the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Melissa, which struck Jamaica on October 28, 2025. The storm caused an estimated US$6–7 billion in damage; one of the costliest disasters in the nation’s history. Speaking on behalf of Jamaica during the High-Level segment, he recounted how Hurricane Melissa “devastated over half the island,” displacing hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans and destroying homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, and key infrastructure across multiple parishes.
The hurricane’s rapid intensification underscored the deadly new reality of climate change. “The system grew from a Tropical Storm to a Category 4 hurricane in a day and made landfall as one of the most powerful Category 5 hurricanes in history,” Samuda stated. The storm brought a 13-foot storm surge to Jamaica’s western coastline and up to 30 inches of rain in the central highlands.
According to the minister’s statement, scientists determined that “the atmospheric and ocean conditions that led to the rapid intensification of Hurricane Melissa were made six times more likely by climate change.”
Economic Impact
Minister Samuda indicated that the preliminary damage assessment revealed a staggering economic toll. The estimated US$6-7 billion in physical damage represents approximately 28-32 percent of Jamaica’s GDP from the previous fiscal year. “Jamaica has never experienced a disaster of this magnitude with such a significant economic footprint,” Samuda emphasized. “Losing 30% of our GDP is profound.”
This disaster follows Hurricane Beryl, which impacted Jamaica in July 2024, highlighting the increasing frequency of major storms affecting the island nation.
Jamaica’s Proactive Measures
Despite its vulnerability, Jamaica has positioned itself as a regional leader in disaster preparedness. Samuda highlighted the country’s comprehensive disaster risk financing strategy, including “one of the world’s first sovereign catastrophe bonds issued in 2021, renewed in 2024 with the World Bank.”
The minister also announced that Jamaica recently submitted its enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) and a robust Long-Term Strategy for a low-carbon, climate-resilient future, while preparing its National Adaptation Plan.
Call for Climate Finance and Justice
Minister Samuda’s address included a forceful call for developed nations to fulfil their climate finance commitments.
“Solidarity must be more than sympathy. It must be sustained through reliable, accessible, and predictable finance—funds that reach those on the front lines before disaster strikes,” he stated.
Jamaica announced its intention to be among the first beneficiaries of the newly launched Loss and Damage Fund, which Samuda framed as “not as charity, but as justice.” He urged other nations to contribute to the fund, designed to assist developing countries cope with unavoidable and escalating impacts of climate change.
The minister emphasized that developed countries bear “a profound responsibility to honour and strengthen their commitments to climate finance,” calling for a more ambitious collective finance goal beyond 2025.
Urgent Warning
In his closing remarks, Samuda issued a stark warning: “The next hurricane is already forming—not in the sea, but in our failure to act swiftly enough.”
He called on all nations, especially major emitters, to “honour your commitments, scale up ambition, and deliver climate finance at the scale needed,” stressing the need to keep the 1.5°C target alive “not as a slogan, but as a lifeline.” For vulnerable countries like his home, Jamaica.
