Belize
Climate change impacts
It only takes 63 days for the average Canadian to produce as much greenhouse gases as the average Belizean will produce over the course of the entire year. Therefore, March 4th (63 days into the year) is "Climate Change Impacts in Belize Day."
According to Meteorologist, Ann Gordon, “Scientific evidence and local records suggest that there has been a warming trend in air temperatures. According to climate experts in the region, sea level has risen by 2 mm per year. The melting of glaciers, ice caps and polar ice sheets as well as heating of the ocean have contributed to seal level rise. This will result in major changes of the coastline and inundation of low-lying areas”.
For more information on climate change impacts in Belize, read the Scientific Review of Sydney Lopez Sr’s Climate Witness story.
Story
"My name is Sydney Lopez Sr. I am a fisherman/tour guide/carpenter and I am 56 years old. I was born and raised in Placencia Village, Stann Creek District, Belize. I come from a generation of fishermen and have been fishing since my youth."
"I think the weather pattern has changed even more than in recent years. Since 2007 to present, the weather has been very unpredictable. The cold weather comes in whenever it wants as well as the dry, windy and rainy weather. You can’t really tell what you’ll have, when. It used to be cold in early December and stay for weeks. Now, cold, rainy weather stays maybe a day or two. We get April weather in June. June is the beginning of the rainy season in Belize and there is usually significant rainfall within this month up until the ending of the season in November. It’s all mixed up now.”
To continue reading Sydney’s story, visit WWF’s Climate Witness site.
Photo credit: Sydney Lopez Snr
