5.3.1. Specific Adaptation Strategies
Jamaica’s LTS adaptation package strengthens settlements and infrastructure on four fronts: safer housing and cooling, coastal protection, water-system upgrades, and climate-resilient transport. The programme will build 2 500 storm-resistant homes each year, replace or install about 750 high-efficiency air-conditioning units, and extend micro-insurance to five financial institutions that together serve roughly 1.4 million people. Coastal resilience is addressed through 80 kilometres of new seawalls combined with the managed relocation of more than 300 hectares of erosion-prone shoreline. Forty-eight urban centres will complete climate-vulnerability and risk assessments, while new artificial wetlands will polish around 6 million cubic metres of wastewater annually. Water security is boosted by 1 644 kilometres of new pipelines by 2030, ongoing retrofits and maintenance of 466 kilometres per year, upgrades to sewers and treatment plants, 24 additional rain-water harvesting systems each year, and a 30 percent cut in non-revenue water. Transport resilience hinges on overhauling 450 kilometres of minor roads annually and climate-proofing an equal length of major routes. Together, these measures create an integrated pathway for safeguarding lives, services, and economic activity in a changing climate.
LTS action |
Specific strategy |
Target |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Reduce vulnerability of populations living in informal settlements |
Housing-unit construction |
2 500 units yr⁻¹ |
Jamaica Information Service (2020) Get the Facts – The Indigent Housing Programme |
Increase roll-out of low-carbon cooling initiatives in urban & rural settlements |
Energy-efficient AC rollout |
754 AC units yr⁻¹ |
National Environmental & Planning Agency – Caribbean Cooling Initiative / Jamaica National Cooling Strategy |
Develop micro-insurance products for post-disaster recovery |
Technical assistance to micro-finance institutions |
5 institutions; ≈1.39 million people |
Government of Jamaica – National Natural Disaster Risk Financing Policy 2021-2026 |
Build seawalls and other defences to protect key coastal assets |
Grey-infrastructure protection measures |
80 km |
Government of Jamaica (2021) National Coastal Management & Beach Restoration Guidelines |
Plan and implement coastal retreat or inland relocation to manage erosion risks |
Managed coastal relocation |
324 ha |
Government of Jamaica (2021) National Coastal Management & Beach Restoration Guidelines |
Conduct climate-vulnerability and risk assessments (CCVA) |
Community-level CCVA |
48 urban centres |
Government of Jamaica (2024) Climate Risk-Assessment Methodology for PIMS Projects |
Integrate nature-based solutions (NbS) in adaptation |
Artificial wetlands for secondary/tertiary wastewater treatment |
6.02 Mm³ yr⁻¹ (≈ 5.3 ha yr⁻¹) |
NEPA (2017) Ecological Space in Urban Communities – “Kingston as an Ecological Space” |
Adapt water infrastructure to climate variability |
Construction of new water pipelines |
1 644 km by 2030 (≈ 274 km yr⁻¹) |
Office of the Prime Minister (2024) News from the OPM |
Adapt water infrastructure to climate variability |
Retrofitting of water-supply pipelines |
466 km yr⁻¹ |
Office of the Prime Minister (2024) News from the OPM |
Adapt water infrastructure to climate variability |
Maintenance of water-supply pipelines |
466 km yr⁻¹ |
Office of the Prime Minister (2024) News from the OPM |
Adapt water infrastructure to climate variability |
Retrofitting of wastewater-treatment plants (WWTP) |
0.64 Mm³ yr⁻¹ capacity |
Office of the Prime Minister (2024) News from the OPM |
Adapt water infrastructure to climate variability |
Retrofitting of sewerage pipelines |
2.48 Mm³ yr⁻¹ capacity |
Office of the Prime Minister (2024) News from the OPM |
Adapt water infrastructure to climate variability |
Installation of rain-water harvesting systems (RWHS) |
24 new units yr⁻¹ |
Office of the Prime Minister (2024) News from the OPM |
Adapt water infrastructure to climate variability |
Reduction of non-revenue water (NRW) |
−30 % of NRW |
Office of the Prime Minister (2024) News from the OPM |
Enhance resilience of transportation infrastructure |
Retrofitting of roads (major works) |
450 km yr⁻¹ |
National Works Agency (2017) Major Infrastructure Development Programme |
Enhance resilience of transportation infrastructure |
Road rehabilitation (minor works) |
450 km yr⁻¹ |
Government of Jamaica (2029) Vision 2030 Jamaica – Transport Sector 2009-2030 |