Rick Fox and Racquel Moses | Building more sustainable future through Caribbean innovation

Our islands and communities are at the forefront of the climate crisis. Year in, year out, we have borne witness to more frequent and destructive hurricanes, storms, and disasters. As islanders, we have become accustomed to the relative isolation that our lands bestows upon us, and it has provided us with the opportunities to become innovators – to find the right solutions to our issues using the resources available to us.

The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) sees this daily as it actively unlocks growth opportunities for organisations and individuals specialising in everything from green hydrogen to smart farming and the blue economy. In the journey of creating the world’s first climate-smart zone, the inherent need to rethink construction becomes a necessity.

FUTURE-PROOFING OUR COMMUNITIES

As the world moves towards more sustainable development, regions like the Caribbean – where adapting to climate change is a matter of survival – are paving a path for the rest of the world to follow. Through action today,– they are seeking to future-proof their communities and develop industries and technology that can drive future economic growth. One of their key focus areas is housing and building resilience by creating circular systems that prioritise self-reliance.“Everyone has a fundamental human right to housing, which ensures access to a safe, secure, habitable, and affordable home,” notes the United Nations, “Housing is more than just a roof; it’s the opportunity for better lives and a better future.” As such, strong sustainable housing must be seen as a long-term asset for Caribbean communities.

The built environment represents one of the most important emissions sources in the world, roughly 40 per cent. An important element of our climate adaptation is to improve our infrastructure across the Caribbean. Likewise, global industrial waste is a key issue that is not easily resolved – and therein lies an opportunity to innovate. Following Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Partanna was founded with the intention of providing lasting sustainable housing in the region. By recycling steel slag and brine, you are able to create a carbon-negative concrete that absorbs CO2 as it cures in production, and continues to do so throughout its life cycle. Partanna’s carbon-negative concrete has the potential to revolutionise the global construction industry.

CLIMATE-SMART SUSTAINABLE HOUSING

Launched at the UN’s 2022 Climate Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Partanna has a goal to provide affordable, durable, sustainable housing solutions for countries on the front lines. Currently, Partanna is working with the government of the Bahamas to deliver 1,000 homes, and has recently partnered with the CCSA to explore more opportunities across the Caribbean. Creating a market for sustainable housing in the region also opens the door to build on the emerging green jobs sector, further promoting the resilient economic model the Caribbean is capable of embracing. Partanna’s housing development project will provide at least 1,000 direct and indirect jobs for Bahamians over its duration.

Partanna will also provide training in the new skill sets required to establish the Caribbean as a global centre of a new, sustainable, building materials industry. The UN estimates that, by 2030, about 40 per cent of the world’s population, roughly three billion people, will need access to adequate housing. “Housing presents an often-overlooked opportunity to address climate adaptation and mitigation solutions in a way that profoundly benefits vulnerable populations,” explains Jonathan Reckford, chief executive officer for Habitat for Humanity International, “As the world continues to deal with more frequent, more extreme weather events, it’s clear that we cannot tackle climate change without addressing the need for affordable and sustainable housing.” The first step towards providing affordable climate-smart housing can start right here in the Caribbean.

CARIBBEAN INNOVATION ON THE GLOBAL STAGE

The Caribbean has been a leading force in innovative climate action. Our diplomats have represented the region well, from Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s strong speeches on the world stage, to Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s leadership of the Alliance of Small Island States, and Grenada’s Simon Stiell, appointed as executive secretary to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, we are actively fighting for a better collective future. This is backed up by the work carried out on the ground by entrepreneurs, organisations and government agencies to future-proof key socio-economic sectors and protect our heritage and legacy. While we may be on the front lines of climate change, we are also developing cutting-edge solutions that will benefit everyone in the Caribbean and beyond.

Rick Fox is a Bahamian former professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the founder of Partanna Bahamas, a carbon-negative concrete housing construction company that is currently building affordable homes in Abaco. Racquel Moses is the CEO of Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.