The Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) includes the Centre for Policy Studies in Sustainable Development, the Centre for Environmental Management and the Disaster Risk Reduction Centre. ISD supports international networks, chairs the Caribbean UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and hosts the Violence Prevention Alliance. ISD students read MSc, MPhil, or PhD degrees. ISD carries out research and collaborates with other universities, the UWI-SUNY Institute for Leadership and Sustainable Development and offers a joint postgraduate certificate with Empire State College at SUNY.
In the period under review, ISD focused on strategic objectives AC3, AC4, AL1 and AG1. The global COVID-19 pandemic seriously hampered all teaching and research. ISD operated using changed staff routines while allowing staff to work from home. Staff was able to access the IT resources required to function; however, many of our students have insufficient access to IT resources to operate effectively.
Eight of the nineteen students in the MSc in Environmental Management graduated in 2021; the remainder were delayed by the pandemic and will graduate in 2022. ISD staff teach programmes and courses in other departments and universities, including: Environmental Economics; Environmental Management; Advanced Certificate in Leadership for Sustainable Development; BSc Gender and Development; MSc in Tourism and Hospitality Management; MSc in National Security and Strategic Planning; MSc in Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health; MSc National Security and Strategic Planning in the Mona School of Business and Management at The UWI; and the MSc in Sustainable Energy and Climate Change at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Professor Clayton trains Jamaican and regional constabulary, government agencies and security forces and the Jamaican Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency in security matters. DRRC staff train regional disaster management agencies in response and prevention.
ISD staff supervise 24 research students. Staff also supervise, advise, or teach students at other universities.
ISD provides technical and secretariat services to the newly established Global Institute of Climate Smart and Resilient Development. ISD is working with the Seismic Research Centre and the Department of Geology and Geography at Mona to assist the Office of Disaster Management in Dominica to reduce disaster risk from climate-related and seismic hazards.
Professor Clayton and the late Professor Tara Dasgupta were principal investigators (PI) of the Net Zero Energy Building project funded by the GEF and The UWI. The project designed and built a net zero energy building at Mona. It also helped to upgrade the efficiency of existing buildings, using the National Housing Trust in Kingston as an example. The project developed solutions to transform building policies and practice and allow countries to improve energy efficiency, increase disposable income, reduce energy imports, minimise exposure to energy price volatility, and reduce their contribution to climate change. The project was completed in 2021 and is now being evaluated. Value US$7,461,000.
ISD is implementing the following projects:
| Project Name | Amount | PI | Duration | Founders | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCCDRiP | CD $1,000,000 | Dr. Smith | 3 years | IDRC | Ongoing |
| Plastic Reduction | £16,633.36 | Prof. Clayton | 2 years | UKRI | Ongoing |
| Jamaica’s Next City | US$136,850 | Prof. Clayton | 2 years | UDC | Complete |
| Future Cities | US$24,000 | Prof. Clayton | Inter-American Network of Academies of Science | Ongoing | |
| Net-Zero Building | US$ 7,746,000 | Prof. Clayton | 5 years | GEF | Complete |
This project examined ways to reduce plastic consumption and waste. Professor Clayton was the PI. The collaborators were The UWI and the Universities of Surrey, Bayreuth, and Nairobi. The project was implemented in Jamaica, Malawi and Kenya and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for £16,633.
This project developed design parameters for Jamaica’s next city. Professor Clayton was the PI and worked with futurists around the world in a scenario-planning exercise that studied the future of cities. This work was the basis for the design parameters for Jamaica’s next city. The report, “Building for the Future: Horizon Scan and Foresight Exercise for Jamaica’s Next City”, for the Urban Development Corporation of Jamaica concluded in 2021. Project value US$136,850.
Professor Clayton is PI on a US$24,000 project funded by the Inter-American Network of Academies of Science. It maps the future for urban development, innovations in communications, education, and business, and cities that can sustain the educational and training institutions needed to foster innovative capacity and new models of work and business development.
ISD adjunct faculty and staff are members of the Steering Committee for the Association of Commonwealth Universities Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network. ISD works with Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Stacy Kennedy to support The UWI in the International Association of Universities cluster on SDG 13. ISD coordinates the Caribbean chapter of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
ISD, Farmingdale State College (SUNY) and Stony Brook University hosted the International Energy and Sustainability Conference 2021 in March along with UWI STAT and the Jamaican and Long Island chapters of the IEEE. While the IESC is an annual event, this was the first time it was hosted by The UWI. The event was held online over three days and included poster presentations and online presentations by policy makers, researchers and students. The meeting was opened by the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York. Presenters were from SUNY and The UWI as well as the private sector from Jamaica and New York . The conference featured the new energy system on the Mona Campus as well as the ZEN+ building and other work from workers throughout The UWI.
ISD works at the Science-Policy Interface and advocate nationally, regionally and internationally for Sustainable Development and Environmental Management, focusing on the challenges faced by SIDS. Presentations or discussions include:
ISD works with the US Naval War College, the University of Surrey, Florida International University, the Police Services of Northern Ireland, Avon and Somerset.
Professor Clayton is a founding editor and member of the editorial board of The Caribbean Journal of Strategic and Security Studies.
Dr. Smith is an Associate Editor for Environmental Policy and Law and a member of the editorial board of Caribbean Quarterly.
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