Climate Resilience in Puerto Rico
by Teddy Slosberg ’24, Features Contributor
On Feb. 2, Alejandra Castrodad-Rodríguez held a talk on climate resilience in Puerto Rico for Hamilton College students via Zoom. Castrodad-Rodríguez is the Executive Director of Resilient Power Puerto Rico, a non-profit organization dedicated to responding to climate disasters and expanding renewable energy on the island. It was formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, when a humanitarian crisis developed from the lack of an effective response to these climate disasters.
Castrodad-Rodríguez has worked in climate resilience for more than 15 years for non-profits, governments and local communities. She worked as a consultant with OXFAM America, a non-profit aiming to end economic inequality, as well as the Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico. She previously served as San Juan’s Chief Resilience Officer and Task Force Lead for Puerto Rico’s Natural Disaster Resilience Competition and is currently the President of the Board for Kilómetro 0, another non-profit organization that works to protect human rights in Puerto Rico.
The presentation explained that Puerto Rico is uniquely susceptible to climate disaster due to the situation of the island. Its position in the Caribbean makes it vulnerable to hurricanes when they are at their most powerful and climate change makes them more frequent and deadly. The island is also in danger of rising sea levels and has experienced the effects of beach erosion in recent decades. Most of the Puerto Rico’s population lives in these at-risk areas on the coast, as the inland is largely undeveloped. However, Castrodad-Rodríguez mentioned it would not be beneficial to develop this region given its biodiversity and touristic attraction. Puerto Rico’s economic troubles and lack of resources exacerbates these issues. Puerto Rico is a developing region, with poverty levels far higher than those of the majority of territories of the United States. In 2018, over 40% of the population of Puerto Rico was below the poverty line. The island is now facing political and social upheaval, most of which is fueled by the outrage over the lackluster responses to climate disasters residents have faced and their economic consequences.
Castrodad-Rodríguez criticized the United States (U.S.) government for not doing everything in its power to help Puerto Rico adequately prepare for climate disasters, as well as for not helping the island recover once they occur. While the government funnels large amount of funding into apartment projects that are spearheaded by powerful lobbyists, critical public works such as schools and libraries are largely left underdeveloped and vulnerable to these climate disasters. The government has a weak track record of responding effectively once the disasters occur, as was the case in the wake of Hurricane Maria. After Hurricane Maria hit, the entire island lost power, leaving thousands of residents stranded and in need. The government worked slowly to restore power to Puerto Rico, with later research showing that the progress they reported was exaggerated compared to the energy providers’ reports. Castrodad-Rodríguez argued that these acts of negligence and malintent have left the island more vulnerable to climate disasters than it would otherwise be.
While the climate resiliency challenges that Puerto Rico faces are varied and interconnected, individuals like Castrodad-Rodríguez continuously strive towards climate resiliency because they want a better future for their home. Resilient Power Puerto Rico is constantly working with the local governments and directly supporting the communities to create more sustainable power, improve infrastructure and plan for future climate disasters.
