Belize represented at regional climate change conference

By BBN Staff: Climate Change experts from across the region sat down this weekend for a panel discussion on COVID-19’s link to climate change as well as the impact on the Caribbean and Belize had a seat at the table.

The Virtual Island Summit’s panel discussion on “Climate Change, COVID-19 and the Caribbean – Civil Societies Role in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)” was held on Saturday, September 12, with Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer for the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, also representing Belize.

Fuller, Belize’s foremost voice on climate change, acknowledged that the issue brings with it challenges such as rising sea levels, warmer oceans, an increase in hurricane activity, decreasing rainfall and an increase in diseases, and explained some of those issues within the Belizean context. In his presentation, Fuller noted that Monkey River Village in Southern Belize has seen vertical beach erosion of more than 200 yards and that rainfall has been declining in the country, occurring in heavier bursts in shorter periods of time.

Turning to the region, Fuller noted that Hurricane activity, which was already an issue for SIDS nations is becoming an increasing concern due to the increasing intensity of storms. Fuller notes that of the last 12 hurricanes, eight of them were intense hurricanes, categories three, four and five. He stressed that better planning and preparation
will be essential for the region to adapt to the changes being brought on by climate change.

“We have to protect our land-based ecosystems, better land-use plans, how we build, where we build, we can’t continue to build hotels and high-density infrastructure along the very same shorelines we know in 20, 30, 50 years will be inundated by sea-level rise and storm surge,” Fuller said.

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