By Belize Live News Staff: The United Nations says the world is close to blowing past the climate target it set for itself a decade ago. For Belize, that is not distant news.
A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme finds countries have failed to hold warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the line agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Past that line comes stronger storms, rising seas and serious disruption to crops.
Now look at the map.
Belize City sits at sea level. San Pedro and Caye Caulker sit lower still. The barrier reef, which protects the coast from storm surge and supports the tourism and fishing industries, is already under stress from warming water. Corn, rice and sugar all depend on rainfall that has become harder to predict.
Belize produces a fraction of a percent of global emissions. The countries responsible for the bulk of them are the ones that missed the target.
The report says fossil fuel emissions need to reach zero, and that carbon may need pulling out of the atmosphere on top of that. It also tells countries to prepare for worse disasters.
Credit: NPR, Lauren Sommer
How prepared do you think Belize actually is?
