If Jamaica is to survive the surging temperatures and other severe
weather patterns brought on by climate change, its building stock will
also have to be revolutionised.
Reporting on research under an Inter-American Development Bank-funded
project being carried out by the Institute of Sustainable Development
(ISD) at the University of the West Indies titled Develop Design
Concepts for Climate Change Resilient Buildings, project coordinator
Heather Pinnock said the buildings needed to be more energy and water
efficient.
"Mitigating the extensive impacts of climate change requires a strategic
approach, including better planning and developing building stock that
is far more energy and water efficient and also can withstand higher
temperatures and more severe weather conditions," she said.
Acknowledging that Jamaica has relatively good building practices
compared to some countries, the report indicated that the devastation
experienced during flood events, as well as reports on areas vulnerable
to other hazards, show that there are still major risks.
It also pointed to gaps in the country's legislative framework, for
while there are some laws that address environmental control and
physical planning and provide the basics for the enactment of climate
change resilience, they were not comprehensive. The pending Building
Bill of 2011 is one example.
To that end, the report makes the case for "investment in construction
concepts that support the efficient use of water, energy and resource
efficient materials; enhancing public awareness of construction concepts
designed to safeguard homes and businesses from the effects of severe
weather conditions and other natural hazards resulting from climate
change; and improving public awareness of the benefits of supporting
climate change resilience construction initiatives".
Noting that the Caribbean has begun some work in this area with the
Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs), guiding the adaptation
process, Pinnock said that gaps exist in that programme including
limited national level projects responding to individual needs, too few
adaptation actions on the ground, and inadequate action related to
various sectors including tourism, water, energy, and housing.
Still, Latin America and the Caribbean region has been able to reduce
greenhouse gas emission by 11 per cent through improvements in land use
and energy efficiency, Pinnock pointed out.
Reporting on the progress of the project, Professor Anthony Clayton,
principal investigator, reiterated the devastating effect climate change
is projected to have, especially on tropical and sub-tropical regions
of the world.
"An interim report, just completed, shows the urgent need for
institutional changes, economic and policy review and changes in
legislation and regulations regarding environmental protection and
development in Jamaica," he said.
Professor Clayton added that the immediate impacts of climate change are
likely to take place along Jamaica's coastal areas, which has
significant economic implications for the island's areas of human
settlement, transport infrastructure and tourism sector,.
"In order to mitigate the damage that climate change would otherwise
cause to Jamaica, we need to make significant modifications to the
country's regulatory and planning systems as soon as possible," said
professor Clayton.
The main objective of the UWI/ISD project is to assess climate
change-related risks and help increase resilience in the building stock
of Jamaica and the Caribbean. The outcome will be the development of
approaches and policies that will help reduce the loss of life and
property and enable effective recovery in the aftermath of
climate-related disasters in the Caribbean.
It has three main components: planning analysis & technical
assessment; geographic information system mapping and dissemination; and
an awareness- building programme.
In addition to Pinnock and Prof Clayton, other team members are Prof Tara Dasgupta, the
co-principal investigator; Dr Kwame Emmanuel, technical review
consultant; Akilah Anderson, legislative reviewer; Collette Lewis-Smith,
economic review; Tracy-Ann Hyman, green paper review; Anuradha Maharaj;
and Ryan Nembhard, Mona Geoinformatics Institute, GIS Mapping; Brian
Bernal, building codes review.
They are supported in dissemination and public awareness by Henry Williams, Karin Wilson Edmonds and Marcia Erskine.
Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/environment/Make-buildings-energy--water-efficient---UWI_13991851#ixzz2PR7UGkvM