Intergovernmental Panel on climate change meets in Belize
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It’s a scientific group that deals with the complex issue of climate change. Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the group on a voluntary basis. They are meeting at the Biltmore Plaza in an information sharing workshop on climate change and its relevance to the small islands. News Five’s Andrea Polanco found out that the scientists have come from as far as Australia and as close as Barbados.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
The IPCC Regional Small Islands Workshop which brought together over twenty-five climate change representatives of small islands around the world in an effort to expose young scientists to the processes that are used to assess the status of climate change globally.
Leonard Nurse
Dr. Leonard Nurse, Senior Lecturer- CERMES: UWI, Cave Hill Campus
“Every four or five years or so the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the mandate of governments of the world undertake assessments in relation to climate change science. What we thought we should be doing is to begin to expose young scientists who are not yet a part of the process to get them expose to the processes that are used, the guidelines, the kind of science that is required, and to get them involve in doing research to fill some of the gaps that exists in the assessments, particularly focusing on small island states.”
One such small island participating in the workshop is Trinidad & Tobago, and for Professor John Agard who has participated in the last meeting, there are expectations for growth and advancement:
John Agard
Professor John Agard, U.W.I., St. Augustine Campus
“The response to some of the issues has been disappointing, not to talk but from the measurements we make in this part of the world we know that sea level is rising that’s a fact and there are monitors through-out the region. There are certain things that we should be doing because we know the temperature is rising that’s not a hoax because it’s easy to measure and publicly available to all sundry. Yes I would find that there is a big difference between science and dealing with facts because of the political framework because the rules and decision making is far more complex something I’m yet to quite understand myself so I hope that we’ll make some advance here.”
And it is the goal to bring together the small islands because the climate change challenges are shared by everyone, regardless of state size.
Emeritus Roger McLean
Professor Emeritus Roger McLean, University of New South Wales, Australia
“I have been associated with the IPCC since the second assessment. The very first assessment was done over twenty years ago and since then there have bee five assessments. In the last three of those IPCC assessments, the small island states and small islands have had a separate identity and identity is one of the reasons why we have been coming to this particular meeting.”
Arthur Webb
Dr. Arthur Webb, SOPAC, Fiji Islands
“We do have a number of representatives from the Pacific Islands here again joining us. We again just hope to take home some of the experiences that we’re hearing from this region as well it’s great to see similar environments dealing with similar sorts of challenge whether it be historical or politically, the challenge is in climate change. We all have those and we can learn from each other in better ways to try and bring back ultimately better solutions to this problem.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
The workshop will continue through to Friday with a series of presentations and discussions.
I hope Belize can exercise some independent judgment here. A lot of “climate change science” is driven by BILLIONS in profits to be made by people who will control how nations change their economies to deal with something that may not exist at all, or may not be affected by what Man does.
The climate has always had cyclical change — ice ages and thaws, etc.
In the 1960s the “climate change” movement was hysterical about a coming Ice Age that would have killed us by now. That didn’t happen.
In 2000 this SAME GROUP predicted 10 island nations would have been flooded because of “global warming” by . . . 2010. When that year came and went with no deluge, they simply reissued the same prediction recently, and changed the doomsday year to 2020.
Before anyone gets excited and passes laws or levies new fees to combat this bogeyman, we need clam people WHO HAVE NO FINANCIAL INTEREST IN IT to study it more carefully.
didn’t we had hurricanes,active volcanos,typhoons,cyclones etc during the times when Columbus was out there looking for new navigations routes and discovering new lands.This climate changes have been going on for centuries and there is nothing new to it.I think that a lot of people are capitalizing on this issue making themselves billionaires like A Gore and Co..I think people are so naive.Al the money spent can be used to alleviate poverty and enhance lives to millions of people.
Why do we always rely on foreigners to dictate to us what to do in our country?Why can’t this lame @ Government send Belizean abroad to specialize in these different fields?Arn’t we an indipendent country?Then let’s start acting indipendent and not dipendent.
I hope when these people leave i could still eat mi blue crab in coconut milk ….(next month)
Lets not be like ostriches. CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. JUST STEP OUTSIDE TODAY. STAY OUT IN THE SUN AND SEE IF CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT FOR REAL. TURN ON THE NEWS AND SEE IF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN AMERICA WITH NUMEROUS TORNADOES IS A HOAX!!! LOOK OVER THE SEA AND TELL ME IF WHAT LOOMING OVER IT IS NATURAL!!! THE ONE THING IS FOR SURE, DIS OLD EARTH IS GOING TO ITS END PEOPLE!!! THE REST OF THE WORLD IS FACING SERIOUS DISASTERS. WHAT MAKES BELIZE EXEMPTED FROM IT TOO? WE ARE ON THE SAME OLD EARTH!!! FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE BIBLE IS FAST FULFILLING IN FRONT OF OUR VERY EYES. Revelation 16:9 (King James Version) And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. THE BIBLE NEVER LIES. JESUS IS OUR ONLY HOPE!!! SERVE HIM!!!!
where do they get the guns & ammunitions? Arent You supposed to have a license in order to purchased or carry a gun? We need to get to the bottom of the root, how did guns enter into our country? like 4 real how did theses gun enter the Belizeans soil? See we need to focus on how the guns are coming in Belize , & put a stop to it.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS A NATURAL OCCURRENCE………LET’S NOT BE ALARMED………..
They want to set up taxation to countries for carbon emissions. According to carbon-tax advocates, greenhouse gases are growing because emissions are free: corporations and consumers don’t pay when they use the atmosphere as a carbon waste dump. By imposing a price on products that produce CO2 and related gases, a carbon tax will cause consumers and corporations to adopt low-emission products or technology. Voila! Free-market magic works again. Read my friends and fellow Belizeans, research, and do not let anyone tell you something is a hoax or conspiracy theory, this has been meticulously and carefully planned so as to expedite the transfer of wealth to the top 1%. It is a game and we, the poor working class, are the ones pumping the money into the slot while the elites handle the joysticks.
nobody will care until Kings Park is under water…