Today, environment/climate change ministers from across the world get down to work, tasked with the important role of finalizing that critical document that will be produced out of COP26. Ambassador Janine Felson is the deputy head of delegation for Belize and the lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States on Climate Finance. She […]
One concept that is being included is loss and damage. Ambassador Felson says that the barrier reef in Belize is at the brink of being destroyed as a result of climate change. She says that developed countries must be held accountable for liability and compensation to small island developing countries affected by their counterproductive activities. […]
The goal of the Paris Agreement signed back in 2016 is to limit global warming to well below two, preferably to one point five degrees Celsius, compared to pre industrialist levels by 2030. But the harsh reality, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projection, is that global warming will surpass and will register […]
Prime Minister Briceño also commented this morning on his experience in Glasgow at COP26, going this time as a national leader, and his frustration with some of the larger countries who have damaged their own environments but are now telling small countries to adapt to climate change. Prime Minister John Briceño “I have attended […]
Day five of the COP26 events saw youth and education taking center stage of the discussion, both inside and outside with protests in the streets of Glasgow. At the Scottish Event Campus where the official meetings were taking place, we found out more about the level of involvement of the youths in the discussions. News […]
While Climate Change Minister Orlando Habet gave the keynote address at the Belize-led REDD+ event this afternoon at the COP26, earlier today he was among a few ministers invited by the University of Glasgow for a forum on nature-based solutions as climate actions. Joining Minister Habet were participating ministers from Costa Rica, Peru, Suriname and […]
Today at the CARICOM pavilion at the Conference of the Parties 26, the Belize delegation hosted a side event, highlighting the REDD+ project in Belize. The United Nation’s framework to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation aims to curb climate change by incentivizing countries that have put in place significant conservation mechanisms and sustainable […]
Currently, thirty-six rural communities across Belize are without electricity. Out of that number, twenty-eight do want it in their villages because they are cut off from the level of communication the rest of the country enjoy. Access to proper education and health care are also hindered without power and the use of kerosene lamps and […]
Public transportation systems across the world are often accused of being huge carbon emitters for their heavy reliance on fossil fuel, as well as the pollution they create. But, as climate change remains a pressing global crisis, technologies are being developed to replace traditional automobiles with environmentally friendly alternatives. One such alternative is electric vehicles. […]
It is not one of the most contentious issues being discussed at the Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland, but today, a key discussion on the agenda was renewable energy and energy efficiency. Belize is planning to transition to greener energy and to ween ourselves off from our dependency on Mexico. That plan, if […]
The Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management arrived in Glasgow on Wednesday and hit the ground running. Today News Five’s Duane Moody found him at a high level side event, hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub seeks to strengthen the climate finance loop for effective NDC […]
Simultaneously, over at the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change pavilion, a discussion on NDC development, implementation and how these efforts can speak to other potential nature-based solutions was held. It featured a ministerial panel of countries who have included coastal wetland – mangrove, sea grass and salt marsh – protections in their updated […]
Caribbean civil society organizations are pushing through with two breakthrough initiatives on fossil fuel extraction, human rights and climate change, at COP26. Thirty-two Caribbean networks and organizations from nine countries within the region have launched a declaration for an oil-free Caribbean Sea. Belize has banned offshore oil and gas activity, while Guyana is advancing large-scale […]
The hearing at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called for a rights-based approach to extraction and climate change. At the hearing, Malene Alleyne, a human rights attorney, expressed concern about the expansion of oil exploration and extraction in the Caribbean, stating that fossil fuels, quote, are fueling the climate crisis, which threatens the survival […]
Minister Francis Fonseca is praising Prime Minister John Briceño for the speech he delivered at the COP26 World Leaders Summit on Monday. But, like many in the Caribbean, Minister Fonseca says he understands the skepticism of people in this part of the world. The proof that developed nations are serious about tackling the issue of […]
Mitigating and adapting to climate change is expensive and small island developing states like Belize are among those countries severely affected even though their GHG emissions are miniscule. So, as contained in the Paris Agreement formed back in 2015, developed countries, pumping large volumes of greenhouse gases in the environment committed to provide a one […]
The Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve has collaborated with the Crocodile Research Coalition of Placencia to give conservation officers at the three ranger bases information on the critical American crocodile species thriving in the Atoll. Rangers from the Mauger Caye Conservation Outpost, the Calabash Caye Headquarters and the Caye Bokel participated in the refresher on advanced […]
News Five’s Duane Moody is out in Glasgow, Scotland where the United Nations Conference of the Parties is underway. Today, the World Leaders Summit concluded where country leaders from small island developing states as well as those from larger countries, referred to as the G20. The call is for action to be taken by those […]
The Government of Belize, the Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund are working together to formalize a Project Finance for Permanence focused on coastal and marine ecosystems. Today, at a side event in Glasgow, Scotland, PM Briceño signed an MOU with the two conservation organization that will see up to thirty percent of Belize’s […]
Prime Minister John Briceño was among the first-day speakers at the Climate Change Conference of Parties, or COP26, in Glasglow, Scotland. As expected, the Prime Minister highlighted the impact of climate change on Belize, particularly in terms of the Barrier Reef and the high cost of extreme weather events to our economy. He called for […]
Oceana Belize held its second virtual Annual General Meeting on Thursday night. Vice President Janelle Chanona highlighted several of the organization’s accomplishments, including the use of technology, the ban on gillnets, and increased monitoring out at sea. But the highlight of the AGM was undoubtedly the recognition of this year’s Wavemakers, those individuals and groups […]
This year’s United Nation’s Conference of Parties, better known as COP26, takes place in Glasgow, Scotland in the United Kingdom. Over the next two weeks, world leaders will converge to see where countries are in meeting the commitments made in the Paris Agreement signed back in 2015. One of the goals was to limit global […]
The effects of climate change as explained by Minister Orlando Habet are real – we’ve been experiencing it. In some areas along the coast, land is washing way and entire families need to relocate. While there are several areas including agriculture, energy, oceans and forests that will also be discussed at the high level meetings, […]
At a press conference this morning, the President of the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations of Belize, David Almendarez, provided a one page electronic copy of what appears to be an Environmental Compliance Plan written by the Department of Environment. The one page electronic copy is dated September 2013. It notes that that the ECP […]
Evidently, FECTAB has a vested interest in the development of Port Coral, its causeways and North Drowned Caye. With a twenty-five year signed agreement FECTAB, projects the agreement will bring in millions of dollars in income for tour operators. President David Almendarez says he has dug into the public records, in an attempt to determine […]
