Week 13: Coastal Hazards in Jamaica

This week, we discussed coastal hazards, more specifically the damages they cause. In my chosen country, Jamaica, they are faced with various coastal hazards, such as coastal erosion and sea level rise. Unfortunately, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, coastal areas are home to at least 70% of the Jamaican population, as well as around 55% of its economic assets such as airports, tourism infrastructure, and harbors. Therefore, coastal hazards are both a social and economic threat in Jamaica, and make it extremely difficult for them to recover and redevelop. 

The main coastal problem Jamaica faces is erosion, which is a direct result of both rising sea levels and the deterioration of coral reefs. This erosion can also be linked to the severe hurricanes Jamaica experienced in 2004 and 2007, Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Dean. For example, one of the most well-known beaches in Jamaica, Hellshire Beach, has lost over 100 feet of its beach in the last 15 years. As a result, Hellshire hardly has any sandy beach left, and its waves reach all the way up to restaurants that are located nearby. Another popular beach for tourists in Jamaica, Seven Mile Beach, has seen its sands receding at a rate of more than 3 feet each year. Anthony McKenzie, a senior director at the Jamaican National Environment and Planning Agency, has shockingly stated that Seven Mile Beach could entirely disappear within three decades. 

Another coastal problem that Jamaica faces is rising sea levels. According to Loop Jamaica News, a report has warned that Jamaica-as well as many other Caribbean countries-could permanently lose 5% or more of their cities to rising sea levels by the end of the century. This is largely due to the fact that Jamaica does not have any shoreline defenses, which makes rising sea levels far more concerning. Furthermore, recent hyperlocal data released by Human Climate Horizons found that rising sea levels have also increased the severity and frequency of coastal flooding over the past two decades. Therefore, coastal communities are now more susceptible to flood damage, with threats to their homes and infrastructures. Ultimately, it has been estimated that in the future, sea levels in Jamaica will continue to rise, which will delay coastal development and influence displacement among the population. 

In order to prevent and mitigate coastal erosion in Jamaica, the National Environment and Planning Agency has stated that the following will occur:

-More structured coral reef management and protection, such as prohibiting anchoring on reefs

-Approaches and mechanisms to involve the tourism sector in coastal conservation projects

-Zoning of intensive-use areas, followed by the determination of carrying capacity for those areas

-Focus on rehabilitation of areas of severe degradation 

-Community-based projects as mechanisms for promoting conservation while allowing income-generating activities

-Training of personnel in coastal zone management at all levels 

Moreover, in order to prevent and mitigate rising sea levels in Jamaica, I could not find any information that was not directly related to climate change, because rising sea levels are caused by climate change. Although plans are being constricted to address rising sea levels in Jamaica, they are extremely expensive, so here are some of the suggested steps from the Jamaica Information Service to mitigate climate change (even though I know we are discussing climate change next week I thought I should still include a few): 

-Practicing proper disposal of garbage 

-Conserving and recycling water 

-Carpooling to reduce carbon footprint 

Sources: 

https://oneoceanexpedition.com/sustainability/jamaicas-most-famous-beach-is-disappearing 

https://phys.org/news/2014-10-famed-beach-jamaica-slowly-erosion.html 

https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/new-report-warns-caribbean-countries-could-lose-land-sea-level-rise 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9544832/ 

https://websitearchive2020.nepa.gov.jm/policies/neap/coastal.htm 

https://jis.gov.jm/jamaicans-urged-take-steps-mitigate-climate-change/