Pre-COP 26 Conversations and Launch of Jamaica’s NDC’s Partnership Plan” on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Professor Taylor presented on “Zero Matters” and Professor Stephenson on “Science Matters: Dissecting the IPCC Report”. Building Climate Resilience in the Agricultural Sector A three-day workshop on “Building Climate Resilience in the Agricultural Sector – Emerging Applications in Climate Smart Agriculture” was facilitated from January 11 to 13, 2022 by the Climate Studies Group, Mona. The workshop was a product of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through Climate Investment Funds. It was held in partnership with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company (CCRIF SPC). There were approximately 350 participants. Dr. Dale Rankine coordinated the effort. Publications Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and co-Director of the Climate Studies Group, Mona, is one of 100 global contributors to Greta Thunberg’s soon to be published Climate Book. Greta Thunberg is a Swedish activist who is popularly known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Professor Taylor was invited to submit a contribution on sea level rise and small islands. 5.2 ENERGY MANAGEMENT DBML Microgrid Training Centre A Microgrid Training Centre was installed and inaugurated at The Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory (DBML). The new 75kW system with battery back-up, SCADA system and supporting infrastructure, positions DBML as the Northern Caribbean’s first Centre of Excellence for SMART grid training, research and education. The Microgrid Training Centre represents another example of The UWI Mona’s commitment to hastening the Caribbean region’s transition to a low carbon energy and sustainable future. It provides
MOU to Advance Climate Action P rofessors Michael Taylor and Tannecia Stephenson attended the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between The University of the West Indies and the Norway’s University of Bergen (UiB), to advance research and action on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate action) and 14 (Life Below Water). The signing was hosted aboard the training vessel Statsraad Lehmkuhla, while anchored at the Port Royal Cruise Ship Terminal on November 13, 2021. Caribbean primer on Climate Change The launch of “Climate Change Products for Education” was hosted at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on February 22, 2022. The climate change products included a book “Let’s make a difference: A Caribbean Primer on Climate Change for Primary Schools”; a Braille version of the “State of the Jamaica Climate for Policymakers”; and a YouTube Channel with videos on climate change. The initiative was supported by the United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF SGP) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). The activities were enabled under the “Resilience Strengthening to Climate Change Impacts through Youth Education in Primary Schools” project, and coordinated by Dr. Dale Rankine. The School of Education and the Climate Studies Group, UWI Mona, were central to this effort. Under the initiative which launched the research, seven primary schools were also provided with an eco-friendly gazebo and/ or portable tent with outdoor seating, powered by a fixed or portable solar energy-based solution. They also received gardens with endemic plants and trees to encourage the students to care for and study their growth, and develop a culture of protecting the environment. Two of the schools received automatic weather stations through the Meteorological Service of Jamaica. Pre-COP 26 Conversations Professors Michael Taylor and Tannecia Stephenson presented at a lead-up event to the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 titled “Towards a Low- Carbon and Climate Resilient Future for Jamaica:
The Microgrid Training Centre at the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory.
included the Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean (TAPSEC), funding from the German Government and the European Union, and the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE). Capacity Building in Energy Balance Drs. Louis-Ray Harris, Randy Koon Koon, and Professor Tannecia Stephenson of the Department of Physics, Mona Campus, participated in the CARICOM-CCREEE “Capacity Building in Energy Balance Methodology” between October 19 and November 4, 2021. The objective was to train the CARICOM and CCREEE delegates in the
a living example of how energy independence can be achieved, and makes a solid contribution to the regional climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. With this addition, the DBML is 100% powered by renewable energy resulting in per annum savings of US $14,300, and the mitigation of 90 to 100 metric tonnes of CO2. The Centre is fully equipped to function as a teaching, research, and testing Centre for SMART grid solar PV technology. The upgraded laboratory facility will also serve as a teaching and research centre for students enrolled in The UWI’s Environmental Physics, Alternative Energy, and Power Engineering courses, as well as industry practitioners. Partners involved in the installation
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UWI Mona Annual Report 2021 - 2022
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