By Wayne Campbell
Photo: Courtesy photo
Hurricane Beryl has gone but we are left to pick up the pieces. Those Caribbean islands which were impacted by Hurricane Beryl are now in a state of assessment and rebuilding. Jamaica, Grenada and St. Vincent are the countries in Caricom that have been impacted the most. Barbados was impacted to a lesser extent. The hurricane which lashed the southeastern Caribbean with life-threatening winds and flooding made history before it even made landfall. Beryl became the earliest hurricane to reach Category 5 strength on record in the Atlantic Basin. Beryl also became the earliest Atlantic hurricane on record with winds of at least 150 mph. Perhaps, the two most riveting lessons to be learned from the passage of Hurricane Beryl are that Caribbean governments must pay more attention to climate change and the rebuilding process must include technologies associated with renewable energies. Climate change has a very tangible impact on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This impact is located in the destruction of communications, energy and transport infrastructure, homes, health facilities and schools. The United Nations states that slow onset events such as sea level rise pose an existential threat to small island communities, requiring drastic measures such as relocation of populations, and the related challenges this poses. These challenges are compounded by limited institutional capacity, scarce financial resources and a high degree of vulnerability to systemic shocks. The UN argues that biodiversity is an important issue for the livelihood of many SIDS, as industries like tourism and fisheries can constitute over half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of small island economies. However, the importance of these natural resources extends beyond the economy; biodiversity holds aesthetic and spiritual value for many island communities. For centuries, these communities have drawn benefits from biodiversity in the form of food supply, clean water, reduced beach erosion, soil and sand formation, and protection from storm surges. Additionally, strong biodiversity not only generates revenue through industries for SIDS, it also helps prevent the incurrence of additional costs that can result from climate change, soil erosion, pollution, floods, natural disasters and other destructive phenomena.
Climate change
Climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges faced by societies today. It has significant implications on energy, food and water security as well as health and safety for countries and people around the world. Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures. The main greenhouse gasses that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. Clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. Agriculture, oil and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gasses.
The consequences of climate change now include, among others, intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms.
Renewable energy
Over the years technology has changed drastically. The manner in which we built 50 years ago is not the same way architects design and build homes in the 21st century. As SIDS we are blessed with an abundance of sun. Caribbean governments need to invest more resources as it relates to how they can harness more solar energy and include this in the design and building of homes. One of the most exciting technologies in recent times is that of solar windows.
Solar windows
Transparent solar panels can be described as one of the new technologies that are specifically designed to provide windows with the ability to capture energy from sunlight and yet be transparent at the same time. The heart of the technology is found in the form of the transparent solar cells. These solar cells are made using organic photovoltaic materials that are specifically developed to make them transparent yet very effective in the conversion of light into energy. It is made up of specially constructed very thin transparent polymers and other complex materials capable of absorbing/utilizing light. Organic photovoltaic material is placed between two glass or plastic sheets to form a transparent and weather resistant solar module. The solar cells themselves are nearly imperceptible at a glance and permit more than 60 percent of visible light to pass through. In a solar window, a transparent coating or material gathers some of the energy from the light passing through the window and stores it as electricity. Unlike solar panels, it allows some of the light spectrum visible light to pass through, while collecting energy from the infrared and ultraviolet light we cannot see. Other forms of solar window technology are also in development. Researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with another way of capturing the sun’s rays using plastic, semi-transparent light absorbers sandwiched between two panes of glass. The customer will not necessarily need a grid-connected rooftop solar system, a battery or even an electrician to find some benefits from solar windows.
Geography
The Caribbean is the second most disaster-prone region in the world, regularly hit by natural and human-induced disasters. Its Small Islands Developing States are increasingly vulnerable to extreme climatic events, which are becoming more intense, unpredictable and frequent due to climate change. The Caribbean’s unique geography makes it vulnerable to storms. The region’s warm water and high humidity result in wet summer months. As warm air evaporates and rises, it irritates the ocean’s surface and quickly results in thunderstorms, as well as tropical storms. Importantly, the Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1 and runs through November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that the Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have above-normal activity due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical storm formation.
Infrastructure damage
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the damage to Jamaica’s main roads following the passage of monster system Hurricane Beryl has so far totalled $10.2 billion and could increase at the end of a final assessment. Holness made the disclosure in the House of Representatives recently. The Prime Minister added that the figure from the National Works Agency (NWA) was a preliminary estimate. Holness said that main roads make up a fifth of the 25,000 kilometers of roads that connect the country. The remaining 20,000 kilometers are parochial roads. He added that while assessments are still underway, some 500 parochial roads were damaged during the Category four hurricane’s passage a week ago. The prime minister said many areas of the country remain inaccessible with more than 200 corridors blocked, hampering relief efforts.
The Ministry of Education says a preliminary damage assessment of schools arising from Hurricane Beryl is estimated at over $797 million, which is expected to climb as it has not been able to assess all institutions due to ongoing access and communication challenges. The Ministry says as of July 8, technical officers, through their post disaster assessments, have indicated that 100 schools in six of the seven regions have been assessed and shows millions in damage.
Heroes Circle and Caenwood Campus: The assessment highlighted significant issues in Buildings one and two, necessitating urgent repairs to prevent further damage and ensure the buildings remain operational throughout the hurricane season. Of the 110 public libraries under the Jamaica Library Service, the Greater Portmore Branch has suffered severe damage. Given that most emergency shelters in Jamaica are schools it is evident that the powers that be must revisit how our schools are constructed as well as consider insurance for all schools. Policy makers need to revisit specifically the roofing of our schools as climate change is real and present an on-going threat.
CARICOM mobilized
Those of us who are older still remember with fear the impact of Hurricane Gilbert on the region in 1988. In fact, 80 percent of Jamaica’s houses lost their roofs, and the hurricane cost Jamaica 90 percent of its GDP. A significant portion of the island was without electricity for months while line crews from Florida helped with the restoration efforts. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has swiftly responded to the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl, which has battered several member states including Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica. As the region grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the 51-year-old regional integration movement and the region’s private sector have indicated a united front in addressing the challenges posed by the unprecedented natural disaster. Ambassador Wayne McCook, CARICOM assistant secretary general for the Single Market and Trade said the regional bloc has been proactive in its approach regarding the impact of Beryl and to galvanize regional responses. Another regional institution that ought to be playing a more significant role is that of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company (CCRIF). The CCRIF is a risk pooling facility, owned, operated and registered in the Caribbean for Caribbean governments. The CCRIF is designed to limit the financial impact of catastrophic hurricanes and earthquakes to Caribbean governments by quickly providing short term liquidity when a policy is triggered. Sixteen governments are currently members of CCRIF: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and the Turks & Caicos Islands. The CCRIF should seek to incorporate the Dutch and French islands of the Caribbean to become a more robust organization. Is there room for more cooperation among Caricom countries regarding the response to natural disasters? The answer is clearly in the affirmative. CARICOM as a regional bloc must work more closely together to respond to the needs of the region especially in the areas of relief and humanitarian responses as related to natural disasters.
Gender sensitive approach
As the region embarks on a path of rebuilding it is critical that such a response must take into consideration gender sensitivity. This will be critical in analyzing the needs and the response, as all the countries affected have a significant proportion of female-headed households. Nearly half of all households in Jamaica and Grenada, and 39 percent in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, are headed by women. The time is now for the Caribbean region to invest more in renewable energy technologies as the forecast calls for more catastrophic natural disasters. Additionally, it is time for the region to develop and foster a culture in which a generation of climate-smart youth who will lead the fight in matters concerning the environment. As the impacted countries of the region embark on a process of rebuilding, such an endeavor must include an interrogation of building codes to state how roofing is done. Research indicates that hurricane straps are rather useful in maintaining roofs during a hurricane. As a result this should be mandatory for all homes across the region. Given the importance agriculture plays in the region, the time has come for a regional agricultural scheme to assist farmers in the event that they suffer loss from a hurricane or any other natural disaster. Regional governments must think outside the box in order to counter the devastating import of natural disasters in the region. The overarching point is Caribbean governments must set aside more resources in their budgets to mitigate against natural disasters given the dire predictions for the region. The region for example has many institutions such as the Caribbean Examination Council which can spearhead this campaign throughout the region. The Caribbean Development Bank should also play a more instructional role in the rebuilding phase within the region. In light of the destructive nature of Hurricane Beryl, there is an urgent need for Caricom governments to create a more inclusive and culturally relevant curriculum that resonates with students’ lived experiences. Caribbean governments need to work assiduously to engender a culture that will support climate resilient societies in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
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