Uploaded on 2017-03-02 by Naita Chamberlain

1. Check the temperature differences in US cities New York City - 20 degrees warmer; Dallas - 19 degrees warmer Miami - 17 degrees warmer 2. Which are the main UHI effects that you can identify in your area? In Kingston, Jamaica, it can be concluded that the temperature in Kingston is slightly higher than those in the rural areas, with the mass of concrete buildings, roads, cars, and parking lots. The city of Kingston unfortunately lacks green open spaces, rivers, lakes and trees. But what contributes to the future formation of heat island effects in the city of Kingston is the mass development of concrete structures, air pollution from cars and no thought into energy efficient buildings. 3. Which are the measures you would propose? To prevent heat island effects from forming, certain protocols should be taken into consideration. It is time for the city to embrace green development, increase energy efficiency to help reduce emissions associated with generating electrical power and plant more trees to remove gaseous air pollution by uptake via leaf stomata. Trees and other green infrastructure features also reduce heat island effects in urban areas, which can experience significantly higher temperatures in summer months as compared to outlying areas due to the pavements and rooftops which absorb and radiate heat. Also we should revitalise the public transportation system so that more people do not have to rely on single occupancy cars to go from one place to another. Also we need to rethink sustainable local materials that will not absorb heat thru radiation and introduce more high SRI materials. 4. Is UHI effect concerning policy making in your area? Unfortunately, in the Caribbean, there are no policies to combat the effects of heat island effects. However in the local newspaper, Jamaica Gleaner, the director of Nation Environmental and Protection Agency, Mr. Leonard Francis said that 'that it is imperative that Jamaica pursues green development.' Although the effect of climate change is widely know in Jamaica, it is urged by managers of national environmental agencies that the relevant authorities to implement a structured documentation of the benefits of green development.