Climate Change Symposium Runaway Bay HEART Academy

1. Climate Change SymposiumRunaway Bay HEART Academy

2. Jamaica’s Tourism Product and Climate Change Influences …………………………………………… Presentation by Margaret Jones Williams, PhD, QEP Environmental Solutions Limited Kingston 10

3. What are the Current Global Challenges? Copenhagen Consensus Challenge Paper of 2004 lists 10 global challenges: • Climate Change • Communicable Diseases • Conflicts • Education • Financial Instability • Governance and Corruption • Malnutrition and Hunger • Population: Migration • Sanitation and Water • Subsidies and Trade Barriers

4. What is Climate Change? Variation in the average state of climate which may persist for an extended period of time….usually for decades or longer. • Increase in ambient temperatures • Alterations in precipitation patterns • Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions • Sea-level rise

5. General Effects of Climate Change • Severe Storms and Flooding • Coastal Flooding • Longer more severe droughts • Intensive heat waves • Reduced drinking water resources • Rise in sea level • Spread of insects pests and diseases • Extinction of plants and animals • Changes in precipitation patterns

6. Frequency and Intensity • The increased frequency and intensity of events is evident • 1980 Hurricane Allen • 1988 Hurricane Gilbert • 2004 Hurricane Ivan • 2005 Hurricanes Dennis, Emily, Katrina and Wilma • 2007 Hurricane Dean • 2008 TS Gustav, Hurricane Hannah and Ike

7. Hundred Year Events • The hundred-year event no longer occurs every hundred years.

8. What triggers climate change? The increase in ambient temperatures or global warming is considered the main factor Incoming radiation from the sun, hits the earth’s surface Reflected radiation does not all exit the earth’s atmosphere but some of it is trapped and reflected back to the earth

9. The Greenhouse Effect • Results from gases in the atmosphere which help to trap the radiation from the sun • Water Vapour • Carbon Dioxide • Nitrous Oxide • Methane

10. Results of Sea Level Rise • Coastal erosion • Loss of real estate

11. Results of Increased Temperature • Changes in biodiversity • Coral Bleaching • Biological life cycles

12. Assets at Risk- BeachesNegril’s Famous 7 miles of White Sand

13. Assets at Risk- Coral Reefs

14. Assets at Risk- Waterfalls Dunn’s River Falls

15. Assets at Risk- Rivers and StreamsRafting on the Rio Grande

16. Assets at Risk- Recreational Water

17. Assets at Risk- Infrastructure

18. Damage to Bog Walk Gorge after Gustav - Main Route to North Coast

19. Assets at Risk- Water Supply

20. Food Security • Crops that cannot withstand extreme storm events • Coffee • Bananas • Vegetables like tomato and lettuce • Crops that can withstand extreme storm events • Sugarcane

21. Destruction of CropsSt. Mary Bananas after Gustav

22. What are the Climate Change issues faced by Parks and Protected Areas? • Marine Parks • Loss of Natural Assets • Loss of coastal areas due to inundation • Coral bleaching due to increased temperatures • Loss of marine habitats • Destabilization of beaches due to erosion • Destruction of reef due to wave action • Alterations in species diversity

23. Discovery Bay

24. What are the Climate Change issues faced by Parks and Protected Areas? • Loss of Built Assets • Buildings • Infrastructure (sewerage, utilities) • Transportation Network

25. What are the Climate Change issues faced by Parks and Protected Areas? • Terrestrial Parks • Loss of forest cover • Loss of habitat • Alteration of species diversity • Watershed degradation • Slope instability • Sedimentation and Pollution of surface water • Sea level rise • Inundation of coastal areas • Saline intrusion in ground water

26. Blue Mountains

27. WorkshopClimate Change and the Blue Mountains: Adapting Practices to Ensure Forest Conservation and Sustainable Development On the occasion of the visit of HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales in March, 2008 at Holywell, BJCMNP

28. Climate Change Workshop BJMNP • The purpose of the stakeholders’ seminar was to: • identify likely impacts of climate change on the BJCMNP • to identify the possible mitigation and adaptive measures for implementation • to agree on a process and immediate actions for a coordinated approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation measures that will ensure forest conservation and sustainable development in the Blue Mountains

29. Issues faced by BJMNP • Deforestation • Unsustainable Agricultural Practices e.g. Slash and burn especially of the steep slopes • Invasive species • Pollution of water resources

30. Issues faced by BJMNP • Discussions focused on the proposal of Climate Change mitigation and adaptation measures that will ensure forest conservation and sustainable development in the Blue Mountains in four sectors: - • -agriculture • - tourism • - conservation • - infrastructure

31. Recommendations • Valuation - There is a need for environmental accounting to adequately account for the value of the forests and its’ conservation • Incentives - Need for developing countries (and people) to be rewarded for conserving tropical forests • Community and government participation – involvement at public and private sector levels • Setback Regulations for coastal areas • Secure and elevate infrastructure • Increase reservoir capacity

32. Discussion Time !