Earth Today | Talking floods - Youth group seeks climate change resilience solutions
Published:Thursday | November 5, 2020 | 12:12 AM
YOUNG PEOPLE on Action for Climate Change, Jamaica are getting a group of stakeholders together for a virtual forum that takes stock of flood risk in a changing climate.
The event, set for this Friday (November 6), is being held under the theme ‘Roads To Resilience: Reducing Urban Flood Risk in a Changing Climate’ and comes against the background of Jamaica’s ongoing battle with heavy rains and flooding associated with recent tropical storm or hurricane systems, including Hurricane Eta.
“The event comes on the heels of the recent flooding events in both urban and local communities across Jamaica. The damage to our road networks, which have left communities marooned, affected the transportation of goods and left the Government with a massive reconstruction bill,” noted convener of the meeting, Ayesha Constable.
“More importantly, it has raised many questions about the way in which our roads are constructed, the quality of the materials used, and the efficacy of current physical planning policies. The event seeks to highlight the urgent need for an approach to rebuilding that prioritises building better, stronger more resilient roads that can withstand the climate change,” she added.
Join the conversation
Constable is encouraging the youth and other stakeholders to join the conversation.
“The commentary on social media and in other spaces suggests that people are concerned about the current and future state of not just the infrastructure, but of planning. Persons should use the opportunity to air their concerns, ask questions, and get expert feedback from the panellists,” she told The Gleaner.
“People need to be armed with the information to hold authorities accountable and to oppose actions or developments that are going to exacerbate the problems,” Constable said.
Among the issues to be covered are the nature and extent of environmental and physical factors that contributed to the extent of the damage suffered, as well as how poor planning and the disregard of regulations heighten risk.
Among the event’s speakers is principal at the consultancy firm Environmental Solutions Limited, Eleanor Jones.
“The most recent extreme weather events continue to be a wake-up call to action. Upcoming generations are increasingly concerned and they want to stir call to action. This is the voice of young professionals responding to the recurring saga of flood destruction, much of which can be prevented or reduced with appropriate disaster risk-reduction interventions,” she said, noting the value of the planned talks.
“We cannot continue to be passive bystanders while we watch dollars being washed downslope or to sea via gullies and roads. We must be able to participate in the radical change that is desperately needed in the approach to ‘development’. {There is) too much band-aid to cover losses, with the excuse that inadequate funds prevented the diligence required,” Jones added.
It is essential, she argued, for the Government’s action to reflect policy and regulations, together with enforcement consistent with targets for Vision 2030 and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. However, according to the ESL boss, it is important to emphasise that this is not solely a government issue.
“Livelihoods are at risk, and development expenditure is not sustainable. Each individual must be sensitised to understand the urgency to take responsibility for his or her own vulnerability,” noted Jones, who is also a representative of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica.
“Climate change is real. It is here; it is not coming in the future. The impacts will become more severe in the future. We need to anticipate and build coping capacity. Building and sharing knowledge is a path to building resilience that is needed,” she added.