Climate Change and Belize’s NDCs
Belize National Climate Change Office is responsible for the coordination of Belize’s national, regional and international response to Climate Change. This entails some sensitization, as well as reporting on and implementation of climate action programmes. Some of these programmes tie in to Belize’s Nationally Determined Contributions which are plans to reduce greenhouse gases that are warming our planet and how we can adapt to the changing climate conditions. Reporter Andrea Polanco spoke with Lennox Gladden, the Chief Climate Change Officer at the National Climate Change Office, about these NDCs and how Belize is going about to ensure that we meet the targets.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs as they are commonly called are each countries pledges to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. These climate action plans aim to achieve the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature increase to well below two degrees Celsius, while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees. The National Climate Change Office of Belize is tasked with coordinating and build awareness some of the efforts, as well as report on and help to implement some programs.
Lennox Gladden
Lennox Gladden, Chief Climate Change Officer, NCCO
“When we look at our, Belize’s, nationally determined contributions, it is not that we aren’t doing a lot as a country. We have literature; we have reports that do reflect this. However, we have only been tracking manually. So, that is somewhat of a challenge we are facing at this point. We are doing a lot not only as a country, but as an office, but it is not really highlighted. People are familiar with building resilience – because as a country we have a number of resiliencies as a whole but because it is not properly categorized as a mitigation or adaption option, you kinda lose track of some of these initiatives.”
Belize’s Nationally Determined Contributions were crafted in line with Belize’s national development plans – these climate action pledges include the protection of forest reserves and mangrove forests through sustainable management and restoration; Reduction of fuel wood consumption – by twenty-seven percent to sixty-sis percent by 2030. Use of up to 85% renewable energy through hydropower, solar, wind and biomass.
Lennox Gladden
“We are highlighting that our NDCs, as well as building climate resilience, is in line with national priorities; focusing, of course, on the forest, coastal zone management, some renewable energy options. So, it is encompasses both and that is the advantage I would say we have over our colleagues or other developing states. Because we saw the need, looking long term that, yes, we have a negligible contribution of emissions. So, our mitigation options were quite limited. But where we see the challenge going forward is the adaption component.”
The National Climate Change Office has started to train the people who are responsible to help implement the projects to meet our targets. Gladden says this aspect of capacity building is critical for Belize to cope with changing climate conditions and achieve its NDCs.
Lennox Gladden
“The office has recently done a stock taking to look at some of the capacity gaps. For example, we may require some sort of technical capacity, as was recently mentioned, the LiDar. So, we categorize, we document and going forward we develop a program that speaks to what are some of the actions under mitigation and adaptation that we need to build national capacity.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
