Climate - Channel 5 Belize

Sea Cucumbers: Silent Victims of Climate Change

Sea cucumbers, the unassuming custodians of marine ecosystems, are facing increasing threats from the mounting impacts of climate change. These bottom-dwelling creatures, essential for maintaining ocean health, are particularly vulnerable to the warming waters, ocean acidification, and habitat destruction resulting from climate shifts. Belize recently reopened its sea cucumber industry, and in the following story, Hipolito Novelo looks at the impacts of climate change on an already vulnerable industry.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Sea cucumbers play a critical role in marine environments. Often referred to as the “vacuum cleaners of the ocean floor,” they consume detritus, breaking down organic matter and recycling nutrients. This process enhances sediment health, facilitates carbon cycling, and maintains the overall balance of coral reef and seagrass ecosystems. Assistant Professor at the University of Belize, Dr. Arlenie Rogers has been researching sea cucumbers for many years. She’s the resident expert.

Dr. Arlenie Rogers, Assistant Professor, University of Belize

“Sea cucumbers are very important in the marine environment because they are detritus feeders, meaning they feed from the seafloor. And while they feed in the seafloor, they eat decomposed material from the seafloor. So, in a way, they’re cleaning the seafloor, and while they are feeding, they are eating sediment from the seafloor, and when they excrete that, it is sand, so they oxygenate the seafloor as well. So that is the benefit of providing the environment. They also host many symbionts on their bodies. So they are like a microhabitat for many marine organisms like polyworms, gastropods, bivalves, algae, and many microorganisms.”

The Belize sea cucumber fishery reopened on September 1 and is set to close in January 2025. This reopening follows a year-long closure in 2022, during which a stock assessment was conducted by the Belize Fisheries Department and the University of Belize. Completed in March 2023, the assessment evaluated populations in five critical areas, including Placencia Lagoon, through stratified random sampling. The survey identified more than 249,800 lbs of sea cucumber. To safeguard the species and promote sustainability, the annual harvest quota was capped at 175,000 lbs for four approved exporters.

Rigoberto Quintana, Acting Fisheries Administrator

“So, compared to I think the last fishery was probably in 2018, I think, and then we had a closure because of the densities, the population going down. But there has been a recovery of the stocks, and there was a joint stock assessment conducted by the University of Belize and the Fishery Department. And those studies are recommending a total quota of around 175,000 pounds. That is the basis of opening the sea cucumber fishery. We’ll monitor the quota. It opens the 1st of September. And once that process is realized, we will close the fishery. As you know, the processing of sea cucumbers does not take a lot of processing, mostly cooking and drying. So, we’re doing some inspections. This we can see if they are prepared, and it might not be that before we’ll be prepared, they also have to get certification from BAHA.”

Sea cucumbers are highly sought after in global markets, particularly in Asia, for their culinary and medicinal value. This demand supports the livelihoods of coastal communities, including those in Belize. The industry represents a significant economic opportunity, described as a “multi-million-dollar business” and “very lucrative”. These creatures are not as abundant as before. In the Placencia lagoon, where Dr. Rogers was accompanied by Dr. Xochitl Clare of the University of Washington, finding them proved to be a task.

Dr. Xochitl Clare, University of Washington

“Sea cucumbers represent a really important fishery species here in Belize as one of our exports overseas to China, Japan, and other Asian markets.Sea cucumbers are a huge export. They’re an unusual animal. We don’t find them on the Belizean plate very much. But because they make so much money as an export value, they represent a very important resource in the Caribbean at large, not just Belize.”

Sea cucumbers are not immune to climate change. Rising ocean temperatures disrupt their metabolic processes. This leads to reduced reproductive success and higher mortality rates, especially in tropical regions where prolonged heatwaves can decimate populations and destabilize ecosystems. Ocean acidification, driven by increased atmospheric CO₂ absorption, impairs their ability to produce calcium carbonate structures critical for survival while also reducing the availability of detrital matter, their primary food source. Habitat destruction from coral bleaching and seagrass bed degradation exacerbates these challenges and exposes sea cucumbers to predators and limits breeding grounds.

Dr. Arlenie Rogers

“Sea cucumbers, they tend to reproduce; they are very active during the dry months. And if the temperatures are extreme in the dry months, then, you know, we can see monthly how the temperature changes. And how temperature can potentially affect their reproduction in both the rainy and the dry seasons, because when they reproduce in the dry season, they tend to recover and reproduce again the following year. But if the temperature is increasing tremendously, both in the rainy and in the dry season, and the cool months in December, we don’t know, then we can make projections; we can look at how temperature extremes can affect their reproduction.”

To address the impacts of climate change on sea cucumbers, immediate and collaborative efforts are essential. Enhanced conservation measures, such as the establishment and enforcement of marine protected areas, are critical to safeguarding their habitats. Sustainable harvesting practices must also be implemented, with strict regulations and monitoring systems to prevent overfishing, which the fisheries department has done. Investing in research to understand species-specific vulnerabilities can inform effective climate adaptation strategies. Sea cucumbers may seem small and inconspicuous, but their role in maintaining ocean health is profound. Their survival is intrinsically tied to the larger fight against climate change. Reporting for News 5, I am Hipolito Novelo.

UN Sec. Gen. on COP29: “I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome”

After two weeks of tough negotiations, the COP29 summit concluded on November 23 with a compromise on climate financing. Despite calls from developing countries for financial aid to increase from $100 billion to $1 trillion, delegates agreed on only $300 billion in annual funding by 2035.

“This document is nothing more than an optical illusion,” said Indian delegate Chandni Raina.

While some developing countries, particularly small island nations, criticised the pledge as inadequate, this new commitment will replace the current $100 billion annual goal, which expires in 2025.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed disappointment, saying, “I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome… to meet the great challenge we face,” but acknowledged the agreement as a “base on which to build.”

The summit’s focus was supposed to be on reducing fossil fuel emissions, but little progress was made in that aspect. Instead, delegates settled on increasing climate finance, though small island nations, which are most vulnerable to climate change, voiced frustration over being excluded from discussions.

Hosted by oil-rich Azerbaijan, the summit faced difficulties, including protests from the AOSIS group representing small island states. These countries warned that the funding falls short of their needs, with some calling for at least $500 billion.

Climate scientists warn that without drastic emissions reductions, global warming could exceed 1.5°C by the early 2030s, leading to irreversible environmental damage.

The only positive outcome was the agreement on a global carbon credit market, which could help fund clean energy projects and reforestation efforts, benefiting countries like Guyana and Colombia.

While leaders say that COP29’s final outcome leaves much to be desired, attention now turns to next year’s summit in Brazil.

Climate on the Ballot, What Happens if Trump Wins?

The U.S. presidential election is one day away, and the world is watching the polls closely. A vote in favour of either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will affect not only American climate policy but also the worldwide fight against global warming.

Former President Trump has repeatedly called global warming a “hoax” and has claimed it was “created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive.”

During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, he repealed over 100 environmental regulations and withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Although the U.S. rejoined it in 2021 under Joe Biden, Trump has continued to dismiss climate change, saying it is “one of the great scams of all time” and claiming that “people aren’t buying it anymore.” He has also falsely stated that the planet “has actually got a bit cooler recently” and suggested that rising sea levels will create “more oceanfront property.”

This may pose challenges for Belize’s climate efforts if he wins again. Belize has committed to the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming and address climate change. The country relies on international support, including funding from the U.S., to carry out projects focused on renewable energy and protecting its natural resources. If Trump were to become president again and reduce U.S. involvement in global climate initiatives, Belize could face significant setbacks.

In a recent interview, we asked Orlando Habet, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, about the potential impact of a Trump victory. He expressed concern, stating, “If they pull out on the Paris Agreement, certainly we will be worried. But, perhaps—maybe on the global stage—we don’t know what happens with the relationship with individual countries. Maybe that still remains the same.”

The worry is that if the U.S. steps back from its climate commitments, it could weaken global efforts to fight climate change.

“Our Oceans Are in Crisis”

The United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, part of the Office of Legal Affairs, is currently hosting a regional workshop aimed at enhancing the understanding of the BBNJ Agreement (the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) for small island developing states in the Caribbean.

This workshop is part of the Division’s ongoing efforts under General Assembly resolution 77/321 to promote awareness of the BBNJ Agreement and prepare for its implementation. Linked to a project funded by the European Union, titled “Promotion of a Better Understanding of the BBNJ Agreement,” the event seeks to build the capacity of developing states to join and implement the Agreement.

The workshop seeks to deepen participants’ understanding of the BBNJ Agreement, focussing on the rights and obligations it establishes. It is specifically designed to support states in their efforts to join the Agreement and prepare for its implementation. Attendees will explore a variety of modules, including the background and significance of the BBNJ Agreement, an overview of its key components, and the implications of becoming a party. Additionally, the workshop will cover the agreement’s substantive and cross-cutting elements, relevant legal frameworks, and the roles of global, regional, and sectoral organizations. Participants will also learn about the procedural steps required for states to become parties to the agreement.

A special focus will be placed on identifying technical needs and requirements for implementing the agreement, including legal and policy framework gaps, through needs identification and gap analysis exercises.

CEO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amalia Mai, said, “The BBNJ agreement is extremely important for its own substantive reasons, but its adoption was an achievement for multilateralism at a time when that issue is in serious doubt. The agreement signals a strong interest of states in further strengthening the international legal regime in relation to oceans and, importantly, a commitment to protecting our ocean’s diversity.”

CEO Mai added, “Our oceans are in crisis. Pollution from plastics, overfishing, the explosion of sargassum, and climate change are dealing an all-out assault on our oceans. The rate of ocean warming has doubled in the last twenty years. The high seas are becoming more acidic. Estimates indicate that the ocean is polluted by a plastic smug made up of an estimated 171 trillion plastic particles.”

High Commissioner of the UK to Belize, Nicole Davison, said, “The UK is very supportive of the BBNJ agreement, recognising it as an important step towards coordinators global action to tackle the climate and nature crisis.

The workshop is being hosted by the Government of Belize from October 7 to 10, 2024, at the Umaya Resort in Placencia, Belize.

G.O.B. Looks for a Long-term Solution to City Flooding

The past few days have been a struggle for residents of Belize City who have been grappling with the sudden flooding in the area. Despite minimal rainfall, several inches of water have found their way into homes and businesses. On Wednesday, Deputy Mayor, Allan Pollard explained that while the Belize City Council is working to reduce the flooding, climate change is difficult to counteract. Prime Minister Briceno told News Five that the government is seeking long-term solutions to the issue.

Britney Gordon

“This flooding that’s happening here, we know that there’s work being done to try and reduce it, but the pumping, as we mentioned yesterday from Deputy Mayor, is not enough. So what other work are we doing to hinder this flooding?”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“That’s a million-dollar question, and why do I say that? Simply because we’re living the sign of the times, the issue of climate change. And, as these floodings are going, not going to improve, they’re going to get worse with time. And unfortunately, that’s what we’re facing. Belize is in the probably top ten countries that’s most vulnerable to climate change. And that is why we have been going around internationally trying to put pressure on the countries that are causing this. Because the temperatures of the planet is increasing. And as it increased and the the dirt and the salt caps is are melting all the ice there. And as more water pours into the oceans tend to rise, and low-lying areas like Belize, especially Belize city in particular, water’s going up. I just drove down north from the street and you can see the river. The river is up. How can you pump that out? And to where? Because even the sea is up. So we have to try to find how best we could mitigate against it. And and we have to take a harder look, a more long-term approach.”

Floodwaters and High Tide Inundate Belize City Streets

Over the weekend and leading up to this morning, it appeared as if Belize City experienced a tropical storm that dropped at least four inches of rain fall. Streets across the city were flooded, but there has been little to no rain in sight for the past few days, in fact it has been extremely dry and hot. So, what explains the flooded streets? The speculations were that an unusually high tide came in and inundated the streets with water. Well, the National Hydrological Service is saying that the flooding is because of both the high tide and floodwaters swelling the banks of the Belize River and Haulover Creek. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Streets across Belize City have been inundated with water for the past three days. But there has been little to no rainfall. Sharon Gullap lives on Mex Avenue. She has lived at this exact location for several decades. She is now witnessing something she says she has not seen all her life.

Voice of: Sharon Gullap, Belize City Resident

“The water I coming up pretty high. It comes about four or five inches across the bridge. My neighbor over there, it is like about to go in her house. Over there, it is totally downstairs. The alley there, it is totally filled. They cant even walk through it. These are all new happenings for us, not just hightide. When Belize have floods or hurricanes, we know that happen. But, I have been here, many years, over sixty years and this is new happenings.”

When we arrived at Gullap’s home this morning, the water had receded partially. She placed a wooden pallet to access her property. She also had to clog some pipes to prevent flooding on the first floor. King Street, Dean Street, areas of Port Loyola and Belama all saw flooded streets and yards. Residents initially suspected that this was being caused by an abnormal high tide over the past three days. But the National Hydrological Service says otherwise.

Carmelita Blanco, Hydrologist, National Hydrological Service

“The flooding that is currently being experienced in Belize City is as a result of the riverine flooding since the Belize River is making its way naturally down the riverine system and emptying out into the Haulover Creek. So, all the areas that are along the Haulover Creek are the areas that are currently experiencing the flood.”

Paul Lopez

“There are some suggestions that it could be as a result of hightides, I don’t know if you are hearing that.”

Carmelita Blanco

“Yes, that is in the areas found more in the Marine Parade area. That is where the interaction with the hightides comes into play.”

According to Blanco, excess rainfalls experienced last week led to the Belize River reaching flood stage. She advises residents to continuously monitor the situation as they are unable to provide an exact time period for the river to return to its average height.

Carmelita Blanco

“So all this rain allowed the Mopan River, Macal River reach a bank full stage. As we know, the Macal and the Mopan River form the Belize River. So, all this water needs more space, more room for it to flow. So, since it has arrived at maximum capacity, that is what allows this overflow to take place. What I would advise residents is to continue monitoring the flood forecast that is being issued everyday.”

But for Sharon Gullap and her neighbors, this explanation may provide little to no sense of comfort. Her home is situated near the Belize City Pumping Station. Only last week, the street that runs parallel to hers, Myvett Street, was completely under water.

Sharon Gullap

“Since they did the streets everything started acting different, and since they put that thing there at Yabra it is a whole different thing cause this, I would want to blame it on that, because we never see it before. Give it two hours, it would be there, then it goes down and it comes back up. But we were not having any rain, but now we are going to have some rain, so I don’t know what is going to happen. I am sure climate change has a lot to do with a lot of what is happening, but this drainage, we need drains. I think Belize needs drainage. We don’t have drainage.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

The Cost of Deforestation at the Supermarket

As we go about our day-to-day activities, not much thought is given on the impact of deforestation on scarcity and high costs of fresh produce at the supermarket. But certainly, we all feel the pinch when we visit the grocery store to purchase farm fresh products these days. Well, the experts lay the blame, in part, on climate change. When lush, virgin, forest is cleared for agricultural purposes the carbon they store is released as carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change. We have all seen the effects of climate change, from long periods of drought to unprecedented rainfalls. Now clearly, a small country like Belize is not making any significant contributions to global emissions, but experts would agree that deforestation is not doing any good. So, what value does the forest contribute to the agricultural sector? News Five’s Paul Lopez tell us more in tonight’s installment of Belize on Reel.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Data from the University of Maryland’s Global Land Analysis and Discovery show that Belize lost one thousand, one hundred and seventy square miles of forest cover between 2001 and 2023. That is six hundred and forty thousand acres of virgin forest.

Clifford Martinez, Climate Change Coordinator, Ministry of Agriculture

“Studies have shown, and indications have shown that the damaging sector has been with activities related to land clearing for agricultural production. So it is land use change for agricultural produce.”

Clifford Martinez is the Climate Change Coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture. Research shows that when trees are cut down, the carbon they store is released into the atmosphere. These large land clearings are often undertaken for agricultural purposes. The agro-productive sector contributes just under twenty percent of the nation’s GDP.

Clifford Martinez

“And also where the sector itself represents a large portion of foreign investment earnings. As well as the population of individuals involved in the sector who benefit directly or indirectly and more importantly the percentage of the working force, the labor force, in and around thirty percent of the labor force are from the agriculture sector.”

Ironically, the effects of climate change, including unpredictable weather patterns and increasingly severe weather events, threaten the economic livelihood of persons working in the agricultural sector. Ever Blandon is a vegetable farmer and the secretary of the Valley of Peace Lagoon Farmers’ Cooperative, a group of rural small farmers.

Ever Blandon, Secretary, Valley of Peace Lagoon Farmers’ Cooperative

“With climate change it is very difficult to know when it will come, when you will have it. For example, two days ago in the night we had as much water that we get in a whole month, so that will put you in some kind issue with the vegetable. Cabbage, it cannot be more than two hours under water, and it gets spoiled.”

That then leads to a trickledown effect at the market and in grocery stores.

Ever Blandon

“That eventually will be a lose to the farmer and the market. Last year there was flooding and the cabbage was ready to harvest and some farmers cut it under water. And when they took it to the market it was spoiled. So, it is something that is a lose on all points. For the farmer and the consumer. Eventually you will have a high price on the market.”

Clifford Martinez

“We are in the north so the more common one is the drought that has affected us for the past three years, the sugar industry. We are still recovering from citrus greening in the south.”

Connecting the dots from deforestation to the high cost of fresh produce at the supermarket may not be as challenging when the effects of climate change are considered. So, what can be done to reduce these negative impacts from a policy standpoint? We asked the Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet.

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“I think one is land degradation. It is absolutely important for the agriculture ministry and the department and us in the sustainable ministry to do agriculture in a sustainable way. Gone are the days when we just got bulldozers to clear down land to do agriculture. Also, looking at the land use policy which is now under way. Now looking at that land use policy, which land is appropriate for agriculture, which land is appropriate for land development in terms of urbanization. We see right now areas where especially in the south, going down the Hummingbird, when I was younger I use to go down very slow, because you want to see the beautiful scenery and two because their road was curvy, so you have to be careful. But we saw agriculture happening in the valley, but now we see agriculture happening on the mountain side.”

The future of Belize’s agricultural sector is at stake. But, sixteen-year-old rural farmer Jahzir Sanchez remains optimistic. This week, he participated in a climate change and agriculture forum organized by the Climate Change Office within the Ministry of Sustainable Development.

Jahzir Sanchez, Youth Farmer

“Me as a farmer, my grandfather before he died, he left us land right there. The forest we leave it like that. We don’t touch the forest. The forest is for sticks. We use it when we need to build corrals for the cows. We leave that, if necessary, we cut down. If not, it is necessary we don’t cut down. We have enough land to plant. We have the backyard. We have the field in front of the house. All these lands can be used, not only for football.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.