Offshore oil drilling – it is the one issue that just won’t go away and OCEANA Belize takes every opportunity to raise awareness on this national issue. So, on Saturday they are joining hands, literally, to stand in solidarity with the rest of the world against off shore oil exploration. Communications Director Alyssa Carnegie tells […]
A Yahoo article published earlier today, saying that the government is close to opening the entire country for oil exploration, sent people across social media in a frenzy. The article titled “This Tiny Nation Could Have Huge Oil and Gas Potential,” says that “Last week the country’s Ministry of Energy affirmed that it is considering […]
Belize, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras make up the Mesoamerican Reef and it’s been eight years since they last got their report card. Well, over those years in-depth and extensive studies were carried out as well as Healthy Reefs for Healthy People say we only got a “Fair” for the condition of the reef. But, looking […]
Earlier we told you about the Met Service’s radar which is down, and has been down since last year October. But even so, the Met Service is doing its thing, and as it does every year, provided the media with the predictions for the Hurricane Season which opens in a few weeks. Chief Met Officer […]
A neglected street in the Port Loyola area got a much needed facelift this morning. Residents of the area joined P.U.P. standard bearer, Gilroy Usher Senior, in carrying out the cleanup campaign. But was it a case of politics? Usher Senior told Duane Moody that it’s about civic pride. Here’s that report. Duane Moody, […]
Ten years ago, the government of Belize ratified several environmental management conventions and address, through international assistance and programs, issues of chemical and waste management. Three phases have been accomplished since 2005 and those initiatives have placed processes and protocols in place to manage chemicals in the country. Today at the Radisson Fort George, the […]
Another component of the project will include the closure of the dumpsite and the construction of a transfer station at Burrell Boom. But when you hear chemical waste, it brings to mind the disposal of hazardous wastes. We’ve seen in the past where medical facilities have not been properly disposing hazardous waste. According to Alegria, […]
On Monday’s newscast, we showed you the images of the massive erosion in the southern village of Hopkins. It started about a week ago and since then, some residents and resorts have lost up to fourteen feet of beach and the value of their properties has drastically depreciated. The Department of Environment was called in, […]
As to residents and resorts who have lost their beachfronts to the erosion and whose property values have gone down, is there any way that they can reclaim their lands or get any sort of compensation? Vallejos says that the department will be looking into the matter. Via Phone: Wilbert Vallejos, Lands Commissioner “Well […]
On Monday, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center and the Western Kentucky University. The agreement seeks to help the region with its climate change efforts through science and education, by acquiring resources and expertise. One of the organizations that is set to benefit from this partnership is the […]
Once known for its delicate shoreline, the village of Hopkins in the south is facing chronic coastal erosion. Residents woke up one morning to find that their beach had been stripped away; some have lost more than ten feet while others are losing the tourism dollar. There are well-known causes for erosion such as climatic […]
Over a month ago, new rangers graduated from the Friends for Conservation and Development, also referred to as the FCD rangers program. The now eighteen rangers have been deployed to critical hot spots in the Chiquibul. Since then, they have been active and their training has resulted in two separate detainments of Guatemalans illegally within […]
The World Health Organization estimates climate change will cause an additional two hundred and fifty thousand deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. And with this alarming fact, the efforts to mitigate the impacts and to increase resiliency have been ongoing, across the world and even in our region. While developing countries are challenged for […]
Five Belmopan High schools were the first in the Caribbean to initiate a network of school based environmental clubs with a strong climate change focus. The launch of the network is set to see hundreds of young people across the region more involved in raising awareness of climate change and implementing changes to encourage a […]
The multi-million dollar Norwegian Cruise Lines tourism port on Harvest Caye is expected to be completed by the end of the year and opened in early 2016. It’s a huge project which received significant opposition across the political spectrum – primarily those sectors which are proponents of pocket tourism in the South as opposed to […]
Apart from the social concerns the NCL project raised, there are also some environmental concerns. One, raised just a week ago, is that developers have dumped rocks on top of coral heads which abound just off Harvest Caye. Another concern is that there is a proposal in the EIA to construct a thousand foot pier […]
It is common knowledge that the Belize Barrier Reef is the second longest barrier reef in the world; three of the Caribbean’s four atolls are found in Belizean waters and Belize is also home to the Blue Hole, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But this internationally recognized marine system is under threat by […]
But the natural resource has massive economic benefits, which are at risk of being threatened: tourism, the fisheries industry and shoreline. The documents released on January nineteenth, 2015 by the ministry, says Chanona, can have adverse effects on a multimillion dollar industry. Janelle Chanona, Vice President, OCEANA Belize “While the overall economic value of […]
Recently, the Department of Environment, in partnership with three international organizations, hosted an Oil Spill Contingency Workshop that addressed issues such as oil pollution, preparedness, and response and cooperation sensitization workshop. But according to the consultants, Belize is not prepared as there are too many risks involved. According to environmentalists, there appears to be lack […]
The world is celebrating the forty-fifth anniversary of Earth Day. It’s a special day to honor and appreciate nature. For Belize, N.G.O.s use the day to raise awareness of environmental issues and to teach students ways to protect our environment. News Five joined Belize Audubon Society for their Earth Day celebration at the Guanacaste National […]
And from Guanacaste Park to the University of Belize- the Earth Day celebration continues. We stopped in at UB to check out the festivities, where visiting students were able to participate in an all-day interactive booth display. Students of the Natural Resources Management Program teamed up with several local organizations to raise awareness and celebrate […]
The event will feature ten days of jazz fusion and will see the collaboration of local culture makers, business enterprises and globally renowned artists to promote the cultural and social love for the genre of music and its respective art. The event will be held from June fifth to the fourteenth and will travel to […]
Puerto Azul, arguably the largest foreign direct investment in tourism in Belize, should it become a reality, was the subject of a press conference earlier today by a debt holder who is claiming ownership of Northern Two Cayes, the islands on which the billion-dollar development will take place. John Mills returned to Belize recently and […]
The Belize Federation of Fishers held its first annual general meeting at the Belize Elementary School Gymnasium in Belize City today. The federation started back in 2011, but got incorporated in 2013 and is currently the voice of commercial fishers attached to eight member associations across the country. Since its inception, COMPACT, OAK Foundation and […]
And if it is recognition from government that the B.F.F. needs, they got it today at its A.G.M. Minister of Fisheries, Lisel Alamilla, attended the event. After a brief presentation, she heard the concern expressed by the grassroots in the industry. Alamilla says that the implementation of management access will address many of the issues […]
