Belize Increases Its NDC by 5%; What Does that Mean for Climate Change?
Orlando Habet
As Belize prepares for its participation in COP26 to be held in Glasgow, Scotland later this year, Cabinet has approved the update to Belize’s national determined contributions as part of its commitment in the global mitigation of climate change. Belize is committing to increase its NDC by five percent over the next ten years. This will form part of the presentation in late October by Minister Orlando Habet as the country plans to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions while adapting to climate change. Transportation and fuel used for electricity and climate-friendly practices are being factored into the estimated reductions. News Five spoke with Climate Change Minister Habet about what this means for Belize.
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management
“The first NDC was submitted in 2016 and all countries committed to submit updated NDCs. They agreed to every five years, but you can also update within the five years if you wish to. Belize’s NDC was submitted as required by the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change. It is very important because countries globally have committed during the Paris Agreement in 2015 to drive down greenhouse gas emissions so that hopefully we can keep global temperature to one point five degrees as agreed to in the Paris Agreement. And so we all have to do our share. Of course, Belize doesn’t contribute largely to climate change due to our emissions because it is small. As a matter of fact, we are sort of part of the lung for the world because we have our forests, we have our sea grass and everything else that produce oxygen and trap carbon dioxide. But in compliance, we also have to do our share. Even though our emissions are small, we have to do our part. So these updated NDCs are to show the ambition of each country to reduce those emissions and on the other side to also put into the NDCs areas where we will commit to do adaptation so that we build resilience against the effects of climate change.”
