November, 2024 - Channel 5 Belize

COP29 Bulletin: Key Developments on Fossil Fuels, Emissions Targets, and Climate Finance

“The sound you hear is the ticking clock. We are in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And time is not on our side,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the COP29 Climate Action Summit in Baku today. Guterres called for urgent climate action, saying, “doubling down on fossil fuels is absurd.” He warned that achieving the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires countries to “slash global fossil fuel production and consumption by 30%” by 2030.

“On climate finance, the world must pay up, or humanity will pay the price,” Guterres warned, adding that “climate finance is not charity; it’s an investment.”

In response, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev defended his country’s oil and gas exports as a “gift of the god.” Speaking in Baku today, Aliyev criticised his international critics and denied Azerbaijan is a “petrostate,” despite the fact that oil and gas account for two-thirds of the country’s revenue. He said, “I understand that this topic is not very popular at a climate change conference, but, without that, my comments would not be complete.” Aliyev said American “fake news media” should look at their own country, the world’s biggest oil and gas producer.

In another key announcement, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer set a new emissions reduction target of 81% by 2035, building on the country’s climate leadership. “Starmer had failed to match strong words with a strong plan of action,” said Rosemary Harris of Oil Change International.

The developing nations’ group, the G77, made a bold demand for climate finance at the summit, insisting on $1.3 trillion per year to address mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage. They rejected proposals to expand the contributor base to wealthier emerging economies like China and Saudi Arabia. Developing countries say they will not even negotiate on any text that has expanding this base as an option.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell stressed the importance of climate finance, calling it “global inflation insurance” to protect against the rising economic costs of climate change. He said, “Climate action is fast becoming an economy-killer,” pointing out that the impact of climate disasters is “carving up to 5% off GDP in many countries.”

COP29 President: “We are on a road to ruin.”

Deadly Prison Riot in Ecuador Leaves 15 Inmates Dead

At least 15 inmates were killed and 14 others injured in a violent clash early Tuesday at Ecuador’s El Litoral prison, notorious for frequent and deadly gang violence. The prison service SNAI reported that the “grave incidents” occurred in the pre-dawn hours at the Guayaquil-based facility.

Security forces have since regained control of the prison, and a comprehensive search of the premises is underway.

El Litoral has a grim history of violent gang clashes; its deadliest incident in September 2021 left over 120 inmates dead. Nearby residents reported hearing gunfire early Tuesday, and police tactical units were seen entering the facility while a helicopter circled above.

Authorities have not yet disclosed details about the identities of those killed, and an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fight.

The prison holds some of Ecuador’s most dangerous gang members, many of whom continue to operate their criminal networks from within. Prison staff often face threats and intimidation from the inmates. In September, El Litoral’s director, María Daniela Icaza, was shot and killed in her car after receiving numerous threats, according to her family.

Ecuador has been grappling with a dramatic rise in gang-related violence, transforming the country from one of Latin America’s safest to one of its most perilous.

Belize Does Not Have An Auditor General

Prime Minister John Briceño responded to several pressing topics in an interview, beginning with the Senate’s recent decision to block the Auditor General Bill.

As we reported, Senator for Government Business, Eamon Courtenay, acknowledged that asking the Senate to endorse a four-month appointment for an Auditor General is less than ideal, but he stressed that it reflects the current circumstances. He reminded the Senate that Dorothy Bradley had been brought out of retirement, with her contract extended until its expiration in August, leaving the Auditor General role vacant since then. Courtenay referenced the 2001 constitutional amendment permitting the appointment of an Acting Auditor General, and the government has recommended Deputy Auditor General Maria Rodriguez for this interim position.

The Senate, however, blocked Rodriguez’s appointment.

During the interview, Briceño expressed disappointment, noting the country is currently without an Auditor General, which hampers government oversight. “I can’t understand their logic. It’s a flawed logic. The point is that we don’t have an Auditor General. We wanted to appoint one, a temporary one, once we advertise, and have people to come in and apply for that post, looking at either in house or outside of the service. And we do recognize that it is a very specialized skill, and that we may need to have to pay them more than what the service pays. I think that you need to ask the geniuses of those that voted against that. Because then, we are without an Auditor General and the work of the government continues.”

Senate Debates Having Acting AG for four months

Police Investigate Stabbing Incident in Belize City

Belize City police are investigating a stabbing incident that occurred in Belize City on Monday afternoon. Around 2:55 p.m., officers responded to a report on Pickstock Street and learnt that 27-year-old Charles Foreman had been stabbed and subsequently transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) for medical treatment.

Preliminary findings indicate that Foreman was socialising with 23-year-old Andrew Holder on Rhaburns Alley when an altercation broke out between the two men. During the dispute, Holder allegedly stabbed Foreman.

LSU Archaeologists Uncover Earliest Maya Salt Works in Belize

Archaeologists from Louisiana State University (LSU) and the University of Texas at Tyler have uncovered the earliest known ancient Maya salt works in southern Belize. This discovery, detailed in the journal Antiquity, was led by LSU Alumni Professor Heather McKillop, who first found wooden buildings and artefacts preserved beneath the sea floor in 2004, including the only known ancient Maya wooden canoe paddle.

McKillop’s collaborator, Assistant Professor Elizabeth Sills from the University of Texas at Tyler, began working on this project as a master’s student and later as a doctoral student at LSU. Since the team’s initial discovery, they have identified a network of underwater sites featuring “salt kitchens” used to boil seawater, residences for salt workers, and other pole-and-thatch buildings—all remarkably preserved in red mangrove peat across shallow coastal lagoons.

By 2024, the researchers had mapped approximately 70 underwater sites, with over 4,000 wooden posts marking the outlines of ancient structures. In their 2023 excavation at a site known as Jay-yi Nah, the team noted its scarcity of broken pottery, unlike other salt works. The few pottery fragments discovered resembled those from Wild Cane Cay, a nearby island site also excavated by McKillop.

Further study of the artefacts and radiocarbon dating on wooden posts revealed that Jay-yi Nah dates back to the Early Classic period (AD 250–600), making it significantly older than other nearby sites. Unlike later salt works, which were integral to a larger trade network during the Late Classic period, Jay-yi Nah appears to have operated as a smaller, locally focused enterprise connected to Wild Cane Cay. Evidence of fish bones preserved at Wild Cane Cay suggests that salt produced at Jay-yi Nah may have been used to preserve fish for local consumption or trade.

This discovery sheds new light on the origins and development of salt production in the Maya region, providing a glimpse into how small-scale local operations evolved into the extensive salt trade that supported Maya civilisation at its peak.

British Museum Charges $225 BZD to View Looted Xunantunich Altar Hidden from Belizeans

Corazon Creek Lights Up With New 24-Hour Solar Power System

Corazon Creek Village in Toledo is set to benefit from a new, 24-hour solar-powered energy system. The official launch of the Corazon Creek Off-Grid Solar System took place on Monday, with government officials, community leaders, and representatives from the German-based CDW Foundation, which funded the project, in attendance. The system includes advanced solar photovoltaic panels, inverters, a generator, and a battery bank to provide continuous power to the community.

The project is the result of a consent agreement signed last September between Corazon Creek Village and Belize’s Ministry of Energy. According to Ministry CEO Jose Urbina, the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to expanding reliable energy access to rural communities, which is essential for economic growth, education, and improved quality of life. “I must say from earlier discussion with the chairman, sixty-five homes, a population of approximately three hundred and sixty-five persons have been impacted,” Urbina said. He added that Corazon Creek also serves as a hub for nearby communities who rely on it for education and other resources.

CDW Foundation, which began its work in Belize in 2016 with a similar solar project in La Gracia Village, continues to support the country’s clean energy goals. Sarah Link, Managing Director of CDW, shared her excitement about the positive impact of reliable electricity in Corazon Creek and the surrounding areas. “By the end of 2023, an additional thirty households had applied to be connected to the solar system, prompting an expansion of that system earlier this year to support the growing energy demand,” Link said, adding that the Ministry of Public Utilities and Belize Electricity Limited both identified the area’s strong need for dependable power, especially given its high school, which serves over 400 students.

Area Representative Dr. Osmond Martinez highlighted the transformative impact of electrification on communities, noting that access to energy can lift families out of poverty by opening new opportunities. “What electricity brings is a package. It’s a package because then you can bring telephone, internet, even industrial development, manufacturing, you know, but without electricity, we won’t be able to do that,” Dr. Martinez remarked.

Bridging Community and Clean Energy: Leveraging Solar Energy in Belize’s Indigenous Communities

BREAKING: BEL Wants GOB to Declare Power Generation Emergency

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) has requested that the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) seek government approval to declare a power generation emergency as the country faces an impending shortfall in capacity.

In a letter dated November 8, 2024, BEL CEO John Mencias tells PUC Chairman Dean Molina that “as Single Buyer in the electricity market, hereby gives notice to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of an anticipated material shortfall in generation services pursuant to Section 19 of the Public Utilities Commission (Request for Proposals) Regulations, 2024.

Section 19 of the regulations stipulates that “the Commission, with the approval of the Government, shall declare that an emergency situation has arisen beyond the reasonable control of Belize if, in relation to generation services, the single buyer provides notice to the Commission that there will arise, within a period of twelve months, a material shortfall in generation services.”

BEL projects that peak electricity demand in the next 12 months will exceed available generation, necessitating the procurement of additional services.

BEL attributes this issue to a “systemic failure” in securing new generation capacity, compounded by ongoing drought and heatwaves that have reduced supply from Mexico’s federal power company, CFE. BEL also warns that future curtailments from Mexico may increase, citing recent dispatch shortfalls from CFE.

According to the document, rapid economic growth in the Yucatán Peninsula, including Mexico’s popular tourist destinations, has led to a significant rise in energy demand, similar to trends observed in Belize. Combined with climate change and delays in bringing new generation sources online in both countries, these factors are making it increasingly difficult to meet growing energy demands.

CFE Commits to 75 Megawatts to Belize’s National Grid

Considering the uncertain post-pandemic recovery of demand, the ongoing growth of Belize’s economy, and warmer climatic conditions driving up cooling needs and transmission losses, BEL projects a base case grid peak demand of 139.8 MW in June 2025. This forecasted peak includes the Caye Caulker load, anticipated to be connected to the grid by late April 2025.

BEL anticipates continued capacity challenges from its foreign supplier, CFE, throughout the dry and warmer months of 2025. As seen in 2024, CFE’s supply to Belize is expected to fall below the contracted 55 MW, with projected averages of 22 MW, 7 MW, 8 MW, and 34 MW for May through August 2025, respectively. BEL’s concerns stem from ongoing delays in generation expansion in the Yucatán Peninsula and congestion along the transmission route from Valladolid, which supplies BEL’s interconnection.

BEL is requesting that the PUC secure government approval by November 15, 2024, to declare a power generation emergency, which would enable the procurement of additional generation services.

Belize and Mexico Strengthen Border Security at Commanders Conference

The 18th Border Commanders Conference between Belize and Mexico concluded successfully earlier this week in Belize City. Military and naval leaders from both nations met to discuss security challenges, including drug trafficking, weapon smuggling, illegal migration, and contraband.

Representing Belize were Colonel Anthony Velasquez, Deputy Commander of the Belize Defence Force, and Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant of the Belize Coast Guard. The Mexican delegation included officials from the Secretariat of Defence and the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico.

The conference emphasised the importance of military cooperation in ensuring national security and addressing non-traditional threats like climate change, wildfires, and disaster relief. Both countries committed to sharing intelligence and conducting joint operations to combat transnational organised crime along their borders.

Are BDF Soldiers Operating with outdated Communications Equipment?

House Sitting Suspended Due to Power Outage

The Special Sitting of the House of Representatives has been temporarily suspended due to a power outage that is affecting several parts of the country. Prime Minister John Briceño had risen to introduce the bill to amend the Social Security Act when the power outage happened.

Affected areas include Belize City, Belmopan, and San Pedro.

At the start of today’s special sitting, Briceño outlined what his administration has accomplished in the past four years. He reflected on the task his administration faced in “fixing what was, at the time, a broken nation.” He acknowledged the overwhelming mandate the People’s United Party (PUP) received, describing it as “not an occasion for wild celebration,” but rather a “sobering and humbling experience,” as they were entrusted with leading the country through one of its most challenging periods.

Although significant strides have been made to steady the nation, PM Briceño stressed that the work is ongoing. Progress, he said, is incremental, and his administration is keenly aware of Belizeans’ concerns over the cost of living. Briceño pointed out that even a superpower like the United States grapples with inflation’s impact, underscoring how challenging it is for smaller nations like Belize to combat global inflation pressures. Nonetheless, he reaffirmed his commitment, declaring, “We are not afraid. We will not give up on the Belizean people.”

Belize, Electricity Limited!

Cop Charged with Extorting Tourists at Checkpoint

A police officer is facing serious allegations of extortion following a complaint by a Spanish-Mexican couple, who claim they were forced to pay money during a checkpoint stop on Newtown Barracks in Belize City. Manuel Ortiz, a 50-year-old mechanic, and his wife, Maribel Vargas, 51, reported to police that they were stopped last Friday, where an officer asked for vehicle documents they were unable to produce. According to their report, the officer then allegedly threatened to detain them until Tuesday unless they placed money on the back seat of the police vehicle. Ortiz complied, leaving 210 euros—about $580 Belize dollars—which the officer allegedly took.

After filing a report at Queen Street Police Station, police arrested and charged 38-year-old Police Constable Ausberto Daniel Pelayo, from Corozal Town, with extortion. Pelayo appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court alongside his attorney, Sharon Pitts, and pleaded not guilty. He was granted bail of $6,000 with two sureties of $3,000 each, which he met. Pelayo is expected to reappear in court on December 23rd, while police are considering potential disciplinary action against him.

6-y-o Injured in Corozal Shooting