Belize Network of NGO’s Concerned over Beach Erosion

The Belize Network of N.G.O.’s says it is concerned about the effects that our fossil fuel-driven planet has had on the climate crisis, particularly as it has been demonstrated along Belize’s coast and cayes. The N.G.O. umbrella draws specific attention to several parts of our coastline and a number of popular islands that have been significantly eroded, which past generations of Belizeans once enjoyed. Secretary to the B.N.N. Steering Committee, Dr. Elma Kay agrees with the notion that behaviours must change if we are to meaningfully mitigate the impacts.

Dr. Elma Kay

Dr. Elma Kay, Secretary, B.N.N. Steering Committee

“A lot of the times, what’s happening on the coast, there’s the climate change issue but there’s also the issues that compound the climate change issues. And for example for Monkey River, those issues are inland issues. So, the type of activities, agricultural and other type of degradation that is interrupting the flow of the river; the way those sediments would travel to the sea and accumulate so the sort of water extraction or getting of water for agricultural activities upstream. Because, if you think about the inland systems, it always drain into the coast. So there’s a whole dynamic there on how those systems are moving and flowing, and carrying sediments. And so when you start interfering with those activities upstream, you also end up in some trouble right there. And so you couple that, which is the human activity that we are having here on the ground with something like global climate change, which we ourselves are not responsible for primarily. We do emit some carbon dioxide and other green house gases that cause climate change through our activities for example, our use of electricity, or transportation system.”