Developers urged to prioritise climate resilience requirements

DEVELOPERS ARE being encouraged to prioritise the integration of climate resilience standards in their construction, especially since climate events such as hurricanes, flooding and extreme drought are predicted to increase in frequency and severity.

The charge came from panellists who were speaking yesterday during the second instalment of the Empower JA forum, hosted by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and IDB invest, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

Eleanor Jones, chair of the PSOJ Energy, Environment and Climate Change Committee, said developers are often apprehensive about the additional cost associated with implementing these measures.

However, she insists that the investment will be advantageous in the long run.

“One of the first things to go out the window is the environmental consideration. They wouldn’t tell you to put in less steel, they wouldn’t tell you to put in less concrete but let’s get rid of this environmental thing which is really a nuisance anyway, and a high cost,” she stated.

In sharing similar sentiments, Lenworth Kelly, past president of the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica, noted that while developers may be aware of what needs to done, they often operate within the confines of their client’s limited budget.

“Largely, what you find is that a lot of the considerations that you want to implement will go out the window because the immediacy of the impact of not spending it is not there. If the impact was facing you, you would take the step,” he said.

Noting the importance of prioritising this measure, Malini Samtani, advisory officer for climate change at IDB Invest, shared that incorporating resilience standards in construction projects upfront increase cost by only one to two per cent.

Intelligent designs

Meanwhile, Dayton Wood, chairman of the Developers Association, argued that cost-effective sustainable climate resilient projects can be achieved through intelligent architectural and engineering designs.

“A lot of times some developers have a finite figure in mind, and don’t stop to do the necessary planning in terms of having engineers and architecture at the concept stage so that they know what the building is going to cost,” he said.

He shared that incorporating structures such as water tanks for water harvesting in the design phase may cost more initially, but will work out.

Wood also highlighted what he deemed as a missed opportunity to make the country’s sewage treatment more efficient.

“The government has been spending through the NWC (National Water Commission) large monies running sewage lines throughout, certainly in the Corporate Area. A sewer line runs past your home, but there is no consideration as to how to connect you to the sewer lines so your home continues to put these sewage into the ground and poison the underground aqueduct,” he said.

But he noted that this is an opportunity for medium and small businesses to provide retrofitting solutions elements.

And while stating that the building code is “quite rigorous”, and outlines the framework for climate resilience and sustainability, Wood is of the view that there is not enough awareness about it.

“It needs to be properly advertised, engineers need to be seized of that, developers need to be seized of that, and the buying public needs to be aware of what this cost and what they should be demanding,” he stated.

The Building Act of 2018 outlines provisions for the construction of environmentally friendly and energy efficient buildings. However, the regulations which would allow for its enforcement are still not in place.

Declaring that “it makes no difference” if the Building Act is on paper but not being enforced, attorney-at-law Licea Ann Smith stressed the need for imposition.

“They say it takes cash to care and it does. If we don’t have enough inspectors certain things will go by the way,” she said. “So just as with the private sector is putting in money, government also has to put money where their mouth is to ensure that inspections are being done, and if there are problems they’re identified early enough so that they can be addressed.”

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com