Key Points:
- Barbados launches "Roofs to Reefs," a national strategy using technology and data to build climate resilience.
- The government introduces a digital climate risk identification tool called "hypervisor" to inform policy and planning.
- A new DigiFish initiative aims to digitize fishing industry data for better resource management.
- AI and machine learning are being explored to address water scarcity issues.
- These innovations could serve as a model for other small island nations facing similar climate challenges.
In the face of escalating climate threats, Barbados is turning to cutting-edge digital technologies to safeguard its future. The Caribbean nation’s innovative approach to climate resilience demonstrates how small island states can leverage data and technology to adapt to environmental challenges.
The Hypervisor: A Comprehensive Approach to Climate Risk Management
At the heart of Barbados’ climate strategy is a sophisticated digital tool called the hypervisor. Developed in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), this climate risk identification and resilience planning tool goes beyond simple data collection, offering a comprehensive view of the country’s climate vulnerabilities.
The tool aggregates data from a wide range of sources, including national government agencies and global databases. It then creates a three-dimensional visualization that includes the country’s topography, built environment, and key assets—both existing and planned. This visualization is then overlaid with climatic and other environmental hazards.
Pepukaye Bardouille, who oversaw the tool’s development, explains its significance: “Even though there’s plenty of institutional and community knowledge, with people who can tell you things like, ‘There’s always a landslide on this hill when a tropical storm hits,’ that information can’t be used for government planning purposes unless it’s codified.”
The hypervisor allows users to zoom in on any point to view locations’ susceptibility to weather events, such as potential droughts or storm surges, along with areas vulnerable to coastal erosion, inland flooding, and seismic risk. This level of detail enables policymakers to make informed decisions about infrastructure development and resource allocation.
Shantal Munro-Knight, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Climate Resilience, emphasizes the tool’s importance: “Without technology and data that allow us to set climate resilience targets, we don’t have a chance at sustainability. When we can deploy resources that match the data we have about vulnerability, we can be systematic rather than scattershot.”
For example, the tool revealed that Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the main hospital in Barbados, was built on a flood plain, making it vulnerable to major storms. This insight has prompted discussions about future hospital planning, including considerations for new roads, water pipes, distributed power generation systems, and the development of nearby neighborhoods and schools.
Moreover, the hypervisor was designed with private sector engagement in mind. It can show where development opportunities exist, aligning government needs with private sector capabilities in areas such as agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, and water management.
As a live tool, the hypervisor can be continuously updated with new data on risks and infrastructure projects, allowing all stakeholders—government, development partners, private sector, and citizens—to track progress in real-time. This aligns with the goals of the International Monetary Fund’s new $189 million Resilience and Sustainability Fund for Barbados, which calls for the mainstreaming of climate change considerations in the national budget.
DigiFish: Modernizing the Fishing Industry
Barbados is also bringing its traditional fishing industry into the digital age with the DigiFish initiative. This collaborative program between government, civil society, and the private sector aims to capture and digitize fishing data using tablets distributed to fishing facilities.
Katrina Chapman, manager of the Pile Bay Fish Landing facility, will soon replace her handwritten notes with digital records. This shift will not only improve efficiency but also help the industry navigate the consequences of global warming, such as the increasing prevalence of sargassum seaweed due to warming waters.
The DigiFish initiative aims to improve efficiency, facilitate entry into new markets, integrate generational knowledge, and navigate the consequences of global warming. By digitizing data on species, weights, sizes, and fishing locations, the program will provide valuable insights for sustainable fisheries management and potentially help Barbadian fish products access key export markets through sustainability certifications.
AI Solutions for Water Scarcity
Water scarcity is a critical challenge that Barbados is tackling with innovative technology. Like half of the Caribbean islands, Barbados is considered water-scarce and is confronting the seepage of seawater into its aquifers. UN research shows that rainfall in the region might drop by as much as 40 percent by the end of the century, further exacerbating the problem.
Karl Payne, a lecturer and water resources management program coordinator at the Center for Research Management and Environmental Studies at the University of West Indies, Cave Hill campus, highlights the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning in addressing these issues. “New solutions such as artificial intelligence applications for climate resilience are especially promising in Barbados,” Payne says, noting the “democratization of AI tools” such as open-source cloud computing and machine learning.
These technologies can be applied in various ways to manage water resources more effectively:
Optimizing Well Placements: AI models can be trained to identify optimal locations for wells that minimize saltwater intrusion, a growing problem as sea levels rise.
Water Reuse Scenarios: AI can propose and model scenarios for water reuse that could bolster food security and prevent potential food crises.
Predicting Water Levels: Models can forecast how water levels will change in response to rainfall and pumping regimes, guiding the water authority on conservation measures.
Rainwater Harvesting: Data from drones, processed by AI, can inform optimal roof designs for harvesting rainwater, an important supplementary water source.
Amgad Elmahdi, water sector lead at the Green Climate Fund, also emphasizes the potential of new technologies in addressing long-term water security challenges. He points out that water authorities facing multiple pressures can “leverage the rapid advancement in digital technology and use data-driven modeling and decision-making.”
One example he cites is the use of drones to create high-precision flood hazard models, helping to predict and identify people at risk during extreme weather events.
A Model for Small Island Nations
Barbados’ comprehensive approach to climate resilience through digital innovation could serve as a blueprint for other small island nations facing similar challenges. As Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley states, “The challenges we face are daunting, so we are meeting them head-on, pairing bold policies with practical, community-based measures that are already helping us move toward our climate targets.”
Makhtar Diop, IFC Managing Director, concurs: “Barbados’ Roofs to Reefs program is innovative and practical, and has the potential to be adapted across the Caribbean and other vulnerable island nations.”
As climate change continues to pose existential threats to small island nations, Barbados’ embrace of digital innovation offers a beacon of hope. By harnessing the power of data and technology, the country is not just adapting to climate change – it’s actively shaping a more resilient future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The hypervisor is a digital climate risk identification and planning tool that creates 3D visualizations of climate risks to inform policy and infrastructure decisions.
Through the DigiFish initiative, Barbados is distributing tablets to fishing facilities to capture and digitize fishing data, improving efficiency and resource management.
AI and machine learning are being explored to optimize well placements, propose water reuse scenarios, predict water level changes, and inform rainwater harvesting designs.
Yes, Barbados' Roofs to Reefs program is designed to be adaptable and could serve as a model for other small island nations facing similar climate challenges.
Barbados is dealing with unpredictable weather events, coastal erosion, soil depletion, groundwater instability, and threats to its fishing industry from warming waters.
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