Feb 11, 2022
How $6.8M from the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience will increase the ability to predict and plan for action to mitigate extreme climate events
Natural disasters and vulnerability to climate change have been identified as a serious challenge to economic growth in Jamaica. Sitting somewhere near the top of their climate concerns list is this: the country lies at the edge of the Atlantic Hurricane Belt and experiences frequent direct impacts. Between 2001 and 2012 approximately US$1.38billion of damage was caused by major storm events. In 2021, a projection by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted that extreme weather risks to small island countries like Jamaica would accelerate in the coming decades.
Hurricanes aren’t the only threat…
In corroboration of these findings, data from climate models produced for the development of Jamaica's Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR), which represented phase 1 of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF)’ Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), indicated that the country is likely to incur significantly increased temperature, intense precipitation and sea-level rise by 2050.
In testament to the ability of climate change to yo-yo between extremes, the models also indicated Jamaica will be up to 60% drier in the mean (by 2080), due to decreased rainfall during the traditional wet seasons.
The future effect on people and livelihoods are potentially profound. Particularly in the areas of crop yields, food security, the poorer artisanal fishing communities and the health sector - whose infrastructure and operations are particularly vulnerable to climate damage. In a country where approximately 82% of the population and 90% of Jamaican GDP resides within 5km of the sea, coastal safety is also paramount amongst local concerns.
What the CIF are doing about it
Jamaica’s ability to adapt to climate change has been compromised by inadequate hydrological and meteorological infrastructure and data systems. Its original network of 23 climatological stations dwindled to six and the Doppler Weather Radar at Cooper's Hill was obsolete and subject to regular malfunctions.
The program objectives were to upgrade these systems to improve the quality of climate data and provide training to greatly enhance the country’s ability to predict, plan for and act on climate hazards. The success of this program is critical to increasing resilience and, ultimately, for promoting sustainable economic growth.
$6.8M of CIF funding was allocated to secure these goals, including technical assistance aimed to develop climate resilient training, vulnerability assessments of priority sectors and communities and educational programs to affect behavior change among many other workstreams.
Progress to date
- A new Doppler Weather Radar is fully operational and its solarization is being completed.
- Installation of equipment for the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (MSJ) including 18 automatic weather stations (AWSs) and two sea-level tide gauges is underway.
- The installation of an MSJ AWS Real Time Data Platform has already commenced.
- Capacity building and training of multiple governmental agencies in weather data use, weather forecasting and early warning systems has been completed.
- Recent progress includes the advancements in the implementation of the several Health Vulnerability Assessment Study recommendations. In particular, technical specifications for the procurement and installation of the generators for a number of health facilities have been completed and the procurement process is underway.
- The State of the Jamaican Climate has been completed and is currently being published. The report serves as a cornerstone for policy making and sector planning.
- The Information, education and behavior change campaign (“Smart and Steady Get Climate Ready”) was launched in April 2018. Final Report of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Survey will be published soon.
