The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its investment arm dedicated to the private sector IDB Invest, in collaboration with the engineering services company CEAC Solutions, have developed a study that presents the business case outlook for adopting climate resiliency measures in designing and constructing residential and commercial structures and building capacity among construction companies in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The document analyzes climate information related to damage history and risk assessments, with prioritization based on a combination of affected individuals and average annual losses, to then identify practical resilience measures for new and existing residential, commercial and industrial buildings, quantifying the additional costs of its implementation.

The main measures for the different climate events include the following:

• Flooding: elevated structures, permanent flood barriers and gates, stormwater retention and infiltration basins, and rainwater harvesting.

• Wind: roof clips and ties, roof anchorage to the wall and impact-resistant doors.

• Drought: onsite water storage tanks, low flow faucets and rainwater harvesting.

• Heat: solar shades, thermal radiant roof barriers, cooling of internal spaces, and green roofs.

Finally, the authors conclude that, given the returns on investment identified for each of the resilience measures, it is recommended to focus on raising awareness about the financial benefits of resiliency among project developers and the public as well as innovative lending arrangements that are designed to increase uptake.