As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to “revolutionise” industries, it’s leaving an unexpected environmental footprint: water usage. Research shows that AI-powered data centres, which run the vast AI models used by businesses worldwide, are using staggering amounts of water for cooling and energy production.
According to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), about 82% of large enterprises have either deployed AI or are experimenting with doing so, signalling a rapid AI adoption. But this comes at a cost, as every AI prompt in data centres consumes around 16 ounces of water. Experts say that a single data centre can have cooling towers that need millions of gallons of water annually to prevent the critical computing infrastructure from overheating.
This growing demand for water poses a problem. Google reported a nearly 22% increase in its water usage from 2021 to 2022, reaching over 5.56 billion gallons. Microsoft saw a 34% jump, consuming almost 1.7 billion gallons.
The water consumption of AI data centres is driven by the need to cool the massive servers that power AI models. These servers generate extreme heat, which is managed through industrial-scale cooling systems that rely heavily on water. In addition, these systems often use water for humidification to keep the equipment running smoothly.
The environmental costs of AI extend beyond water, with energy consumption and carbon emissions also raising concerns. For instance, generating the electricity needed to run AI servers consumes vast amounts of water at thermal and nuclear plants. AI’s water footprint is thus a combination of both “onsite” and “offsite” water consumption.
In a world facing growing water scarcity, balancing technological growth with responsible resource use poses a serious sustainability challenge.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expressing grave concern over Israel’s recent decision to formally notify the United Nations that it will no longer cooperate with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This decision follows the Israeli parliament’s approval of legislation prohibiting any contact with the agency and banning its operations within Israel, set to take effect early next year.
The Belizean government condemns this latest action by Israel and says that UNRWA is irreplaceable in providing life-saving support to vulnerable Palestinian populations. It says that Israel’s refusal to cooperate with the agency, coupled with its continued military actions, is expected to result in a sharp increase in deaths and suffering from lack of food, water, and healthcare, particularly affecting children, women, and the elderly.
Belize is calling on the international community to ensure that UNRWA is not dismantled and that international humanitarian law is upheld. The Ministry further urges the imposition of a complete ban on the sale or transfer of arms to Israel and demands that immediate steps be taken to deliver essential humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, claimed that the legislation stems from alleged Hamas infiltration of UNRWA, accusations that Israel insists have not been addressed by the United Nations.
UNRWA has stated that it has repeatedly requested evidence from Israel to investigate these claims, which have yet to be provided. UNRWA’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, expressed frustration, stating that the agency is “unable to address allegations for which it has no evidence” and that these claims are being used to undermine the agency’s vital humanitarian work.
UNRWA remains the primary distributor of aid in Gaza, providing education, healthcare, and essential services to millions of Palestinian refugees. Lazzarini warned that dismantling UNRWA would have a “catastrophic impact” on efforts to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Despite the ban, Israel has indicated in its letter to the UN that it will continue working with international partners and other UN agencies to facilitate aid to Gaza, though aid agencies have repeatedly reported significant delays and unsafe conditions for distributing supplies due to ongoing hostilities.
A disturbing incident occurred during a match between São Paulo rivals Corinthians and Palmeiras in the Brazilian championship, where a pig’s head was thrown onto the field. The object was hurled onto the pitch as Palmeiras prepared to take a corner in the first half. Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto quickly ran over from the penalty box to kick it off the field before the game resumed.
South American football correspondent Tim Vickery commented on X, “It’s a new one for me—during the big São Paulo derby, someone threw a pig’s head on the pitch (the pig is Palmeiras’ symbol).”
The incident echoes a similar occurrence in 2002 when Barcelona fans famously threw a pig’s head onto the field as Luis Figo, their former player, returned to the Nou Camp with Real Madrid.
Both Globo and ESPN Brazil reported that police are investigating the matter. Two fans were arrested following the incident but were later released.
The pig has been associated with Palmeiras since 1986 when rival fans chanted “pig” during a match against Santos. Palmeiras fans embraced the term, responding with chants of “Go for it Pig! Ole Ole Ole.”
Regional collaboration took centre stage as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently hosted a specialised plant breeding training in Jamaica, aimed at enhancing the quality and production of hot pepper seeds. A key contributor was Omaira Avila, Seed Technologist/Biotechnologist from CARDI Belize, who joined other experts in providing critical skill-building and technical insights to 35 participants, including Jamaican plant breeders, private seed producers, and farmers.
The training, part of FAO’s Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety, and Market Access Opportunities along the Hot Pepper Value Chain Project, aligns with efforts to establish Jamaica’s National Seed Certification System. This system is designed to increase the availability of high-quality, clean seeds and planting materials, ensuring greater productivity and sustainability for Jamaica’s hot pepper sector.
As a representative of CARDI, Avila’s participation underscores Belize’s support in tackling shared agricultural challenges within the region. “Hot pepper species (Capsicum chinense) is indigenous to the Caribbean and has become an important commercial crop. The diversity of this crop needs to be protected and improved,” said the seed technologist.
In speaking to the training’s importance, Avila pointed out, “Breeding is the way to guarantee the survival of this indigenous species in the light of climate change as well as the pest and disease challenges the region faces. Breeding also allows for the selection of market-desired traits and increased productivity.”
CARDI’s Manager of Science and Innovation, Fayaz Shah, emphasised, “We see this training as being very essential in allowing growth and expansion of the Jamaica pepper industry. CARDI traditionally would have been a major supplier of hot pepper seeds and technologies throughout the Caribbean, and we are very grateful to FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture for reaching out to CARDI to share our expertise.”
The three-day series opened with a stakeholder meeting and panel discussion exploring key policy issues and opportunities for growth, including community seed saving and geographical indicators. The training sessions were led by CARDI, with additional contributions from Trinidad and Tobago’s Professor Path Umaharan of the Cocoa Research Institute. Together, the team introduced participants to advanced breeding techniques and strategies essential for achieving genetic purity and high-performance seed varieties.
Following the training, FAO will equip Jamaica with specialised seed processing machinery, a move expected to enhance genetic purity and boost production efficiency. These advancements will improve international compliance standards, benefiting producers, processors, and exporters across the hot pepper value chain.
The regional approach demonstrates the impact of Caribbean cooperation in strengthening agricultural resilience and quality throughout the region.
Today is the day when voters in the United States will choose their next president. Kamala Harris, the Democratic Vice President, and Donald Trump, the Republican former president, continue running a neck-and-neck race. The election will be decided by the Electoral College, and a candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win.
The election is expected to come down to key swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, where polls are extremely tight. While past elections have seen winners declared quickly, this year’s competitive race may mean a longer wait. In some states, “narrow victories”‘ could trigger ‘”recounts,” particularly in Pennsylvania, where a margin of less than half a percentage point would require one.
On the final day of voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris is reaching out to voters through a series of radio interviews. In a conversation with a radio host in Atlanta, Harris made her closing argument, saying, “I think this is an inflection point. This is the moment where we have two very different visions of the future of our nation.” Harris emphasised that her vision is focused on “progress” and on “investing in the ambitions, and the aspirations, and the dreams of the American people.”
Former President Trump expressed confidence in his chances, saying, “It won’t even be close” and adding that while he expects a victory, “it’s gonna take a long time to certify.” As the results start coming in, early vote counts may not reflect the final outcome. In 2020, Trump led in several states on election night, only to be overtaken later as mail-in ballots, which tend to favour Democrats, were counted.
If there is a tie with 269 electoral votes for each candidate, the House of Representatives will choose the president, while the Senate selects the vice president. The presidential inauguration will take place on January 20, 2025, marking the beginning of the new president’s term.
In a recent interview with News 5, Brigadier General Azariel Loria, Commander of the Belize Defence Force, responded to allegations that some B.D.F. soldiers may be accepting bribes due to inadequate pay. General Loria acknowledged that investigations are ongoing but defended the current salary structure, describing it as “average” and “appropriate” under current conditions.
The General outlined that the B.D.F., along with the Coast Guard, is currently undergoing a salary review led by the Joint Compensation and Classification Committee. He said, “Our salaries is being reviewed at the moment and it’s not only for the BDF but also for the Coast Guard. And, also, I believe that there were some allowances approved to the air wing pilots and to the whole of the BDF for us to start to draw jungle and bush allowances. So it is something that the government is looking into. And I know that, with this level of cooperation that we are having from the government, it is something very positive that all of us are looking into and seeing the results.”
This process, he said, is aimed at adjusting—not increasing—pay scales in light of the recent minimum wage hike. “No, it’s not a pay increase. We’re not getting a pay raise. It’s an adjustment where we’re looking in ways in which our pay scale could be adjusted because of that minimum wage that came into effect.”
When asked about reports of soldiers taking bribes from Guatemalans in the Machakilha area, General Loria admitted that bribery does occur, though he maintained it is isolated to “rogue commanders.” He explained that incidents involving Guatemalans attempting to bribe B.D.F. patrol commanders have been recorded and reported as part of a larger investigation into illegal activities in border areas.
“The B.D.F. is not immune,” he said. “But we maintain rigorous supervision. Our increased patrols are aimed at deterring illegal logging and other unlawful activities along the border.”
General Loria made it clear that the issue of bribery is not widespread within the force. The investigation, he added, has now been extended to include additional checkpoints beyond Machakilha.
Belize faces ongoing challenges in maintaining a stable power supply. With rising demand in Belize and persistently high temperatures, the risk of power outages looms. Belize stands at a critical crossroads with a record number of power outages due to “load shedding” earlier this year. The country saw temporary electricity cutoffs to maintain stability in the national grid.
Belize relies on the Mexican energy supplier, Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), which normally provides “up to 55 MW of capacity to the grid,” according to Belize Electricity Limited (BEL). While CFE has been a reliable partner since the 1990s and helps keep costs down, it has faced its own generation and transmission issues this year, leading to numerous disconnections in Belize. Under a Power Purchase Agreement signed in February 2018, BEL has been buying “opportunity cost energy” from CFE, allowing for additional power purchases when prices are low but also making this supply vulnerable to interruption.
But as Belize’s economy grows, the demand for energy rises. This highlights the urgent need for the country to develop its own electricity generation capacity to meet peak demand and reduce reliance on CFE.
Solar Sisters: Women Leading the Solar Charge
Leading Belize’s renewable energy movement within indigenous communities are three Maya women who are bringing solar power to their villages, transforming lives and fostering sustainable change. Since 2016, Florentina Choco, along with sisters Miriam and Cristina Choc from the Toledo District, have been bringing solar power to remote, off-grid areas.
Through the Small Grants Programme (SGP), managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), they underwent six months of solar energy training at Barefoot College International in India.
Florentina Choco, the pioneer, was the first woman to receive this training in 2013. Motivated by the need for electricity in her community and its impact on local education, she decided to take action. “I didn’t know anything at all… just heard about it, but eventually I knew how to connect solar. I can see my village… there is no light, no electricity. I want to help the community and the children in school,” she said. Two years after returning to Belize, she helped install light systems in her village and three others: Santa Elena, Graham Creek, and Machakilha.
In 2017, sisters Miriam and Cristina followed in her footsteps and travelled to India for their own solar energy training. “After the installation, the people are very grateful to see the lights in their homes,” Miriam noted. “Our plan is to electrify all communities without access to electricity.” As a result, schools gained access to modern technology like projectors and computers.
While traditional gender roles can be rigid in some indigenous communities, the women have effectively navigated these challenges. Miriam stated, “It’s bringing a change in the Maya women’s culture; it empowers… like we open the way so that other women… can participate in any projects or any trainings.”
“The three women being indigenous themselves… were able to relate to the culture in ways that I never could,” said Mark Miller, the retired executive director of Plenty International Belize Limited, who facilitated the solar training in India.
Cristina added that during installations, they teach local women how to install and maintain solar systems. “We train them… how to take care of their system,” she said.
As they gained experience, the women realised their skills were underutilised in their own villages. They are currently working in six villages, including Yalbac in the Cayo District.
Making Solar Work for Everyone
With increasing recognition of solar energy’s potential, Belize is exploring strategies to harness this essential resource for economic growth, particularly in tourism and agribusiness. The country is taking steps to reduce dependence on imported electricity and diversify its energy generation mix by expanding renewable sources where commercially viable.
Indigenous communities, such as Corazon and Indian Creek, have welcomed solar technology through private-government partnerships. However, transitioning to solar energy requires significant investment.
Interest in solar energy is growing, driven by financing options like special loans from the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Projects. Solar Energy Solutions Belize (SESB), operating for 13 years, is one company facilitating community transitions to solar energy.
Co-founder Silvan Kuffer explained the inefficiencies of traditional generators in many Maya villages. “A little generator is not efficient. You run that thing one night just to have a fan blowing on you—five gallons of gas gone,” he explained. “Now, power from a solar system through a meter, they can blow the fan all night… and it’s going to cost them the same 80 cents or one dollar it’s costing another Belizean for the power.”
However, as the demand for solar energy grows in Belize, there is an urgent need for trained solar technicians. “Yes, there are no moving parts, but all of them need maintenance. They need cleaning. And that is, if the industry goes so quick, we’re going to have a lot of boats on the water, but not many captains.” He noted that a structured approach from the government to address this rising issue would be beneficial.
Vision for Renewable Energy in Belize
The Belizean government is committed to a sustainable energy future, with recent policy changes facilitating solar power integration, particularly for marginalised communities. Belize’s adoption of solar energy contributes to sustainability and reduces carbon emissions, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change.
In the 2023 Belize Energy Policy, the Government of Belize committed to becoming a low-carbon, energy-efficient nation by 2040, addressing climate change and energy system interconnectedness. The policy emphasises enhancing resilience, supporting energy transitions, and ensuring equitable benefits for all citizens, including indigenous communities.
Belize is doing relatively well compared to other Caribbean nations in supporting small solar projects. Previously, small solar users connected to the grid without contributing to stability. A lack of rules, like feed-in tariffs, limited the ability of solar panel users to sell excess energy back to the grid, helping to maintain the overall energy system. However, the new Electricity Licensing and Consent Regulation passed on March 1, 2024, modernises the regulatory environment for electricity supply, transmission, distribution, and energy storage. The new regulation outlined in Statutory Instrument (S.I.) 39 “is actually geared at opening up the energy market and the energy sector,” said Minister of Energy Michel Chebat, adding, “For the first time in Belize, in the history of Belize, you see a piece of legislation that is actually opening up the energy sector.”
I relocated from California to Placencia, on the coast of southern Belize, in 1995, when there were no paved roads, no vehicles and everybody walked around barefoot. Back then, I was working as a research assistant and scuba-diving instructor. That meant that I had access to Belize’s stunning coral reefs, but also that I began to witness — and document — an ever-more depressing decline in the reefs’ health.
In 1999, while managing Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve for the Belize Fisheries Department, I saw the effects of the 1998 global bleaching event caused by an El Niño followed by a strong La Niña — weather patterns resulting from variations in ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.
Then in 2001, the category-4 Hurricane Iris hit Placencia and the Laughing Bird Caye National Park 12 miles offshore, causing catastrophic damage. Laughing Bird Caye, part of the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site, is crucial to local tourism. The devastation, for both the reef and the community, got me thinking about whether the corals could be re-established.
Coral-reef restoration or rewilding has since become the subject of often intense debate, with a growing number of scientists maintaining that it is a losing battle in a rapidly warming world. Specialists continue to argue over even such basic questions as ‘what is a coral?’ and ‘what is a reef?’, before you get to ‘how much coral cover restored counts as restoration?’ Some researchers question whether reef restoration can be done at scale, whereas others have made overzealous assertions about how easy it is, what it can achieve and how. Reef restoration has taken off — like yoga, I often joke — with ever-wilder ideas about how to ‘save the reefs’. Instead of ‘yoga with babies’, ‘yoga with goats’ or ‘yoga with snakes’, it’s ‘feed the corals’, ‘shade the corals’ or ‘mix in some probiotics’.
My and my team’s experiences, over almost two decades in Belize, show that coral-reef restoration projects can be an uphill battle. But — for now at least — done in the right way, the work can help the corals, their surrounding ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
It took four years to find funding to trial transplanting coral fragments from Belize’s outer reef to Laughing Bird Caye. But since 2010, a team of Belizeans and I have moved genetically distinct colonies of elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), staghorn coral (A. cervicornis) and hybrids (A. prolifera) — amounting to more than 96,000 fragments — to Laughing Bird Caye and more than 20 other sites across 7 marine protected areas.
To better assess changes in coral cover, in 2014 we started using an imaging approach called diver-based photomosaics, a type of large-area imaging. Annual analyses of nine plots (each measuring 50–200 square metres) showed that coral cover increased from 4–6% in 2014 to more than 60% in 2021.
In 2019, we began using drones to assess larger areas, and, by 2021, showed that we had re-established live corals in more than 0.2 hectares of reef around Laughing Bird Caye alone. Although survival rates could turn out to be a lot worse this year, even after two major coral-bleaching events in 2023, nearly 80% of 1,200 transplanted A. palmata fragments at four Cayes in southern Belize had survived (these data are yet to be published).
We are trying to keep portions of shallow reefs alive for as long as possible in a warming world, partially in the hope — which admittedly is thinning — that humanity begins to bend the warming curve so that corals can thrive again. But our experiences suggest that these efforts are likely to prove beneficial only if the water quality is good enough, and if living corals and macroalgae grazers are present. Macroalgal mats interfere with the settlement of coral larvae when they switch from their planktonic phase to the sessile one; sea urchins, crabs and other grazers keep levels of macroalgae down. No-take or highly protected marine zones are also crucial because they preserve species such as lobsters, which feed on the snails that feed on corals.
Restoration can have all sorts of benefits. It can provide a habitat for hundreds of species and protect shorelines from erosion and flooding. It can provide an economic boost, too — and not just by driving tourism. In 2013, a group of us founded an initiative called Fragments of Hope to continue our coral-restoration work. Since then, we have employed only people who live in Belize. More than 100 have trained with us so far. Last year, more than 70% of our operating costs (nearly US$250,000 per year) were spent in Belize. Each person who worked with us last year (for 20 hours a week) earned around $5,000. And this year, it will be around $10,000. This is in a country where the minimum wage is $2.50 per hour and the gross domestic product per capita was less than $7,000 in 2023.
Today, around 25 researchers from different disciplines use Fragments of Hope for their work. Environmental engineers are trying to quantify wave attenuation or work out how to improve waste-water treatment, and anthropology students are pursuing socio-economic studies.
I often feel like giving up. But as long as the corals don’t, nor will I. Whenever I see tiny remnants of coral fusing together — often in the space of a year — to create a living coating over what had looked like a huge dead coral skeleton, I am persuaded to keep trying. Fragments of Hope and other interdisciplinary learning hubs should not be abandoned yet.
Antigua and Barbuda’s independent Member of Parliament for St. Peter, Asot Michael, was found dead in his home under circumstances suggesting potential foul play. Police discovered the 54-year-old politician early Tuesday, lying in a pool of blood, which has launched an immediate homicide investigation.
Michael, a prominent and sometimes controversial figure in Antiguan politics, previously served as Minister of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment, and Energy under Prime Minister Gaston Browne. His recent transition to an independent role in Parliament added another layer to his influential career.
Authorities have cordoned off the area as forensic teams meticulously gather evidence at the scene. Although few details have emerged, police have indicated that foul play has not been ruled out as they work to piece together the events surrounding Michael’s death.
The Belize Fisheries Department has acquired essential new equipment: a Toyota Hilux vehicle and eight laptops. The new resources aim to enhance the department’s capacity to monitor fisheries and enforce compliance with national fisheries laws—a critical step in protecting Belize’s marine ecosystems and supporting sustainable fisheries and local livelihoods.
The equipment, valued at BZD $108,633, was funded by the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future through Government Strategic Allocation (GSA) financing. This funding falls under the project “Establishing the Enabling Environment for the Development of a Marine Spatial Plan through Strengthened Governance, Improved Management, and Enhanced Monitoring of Belize’s Coastal and Marine Resources.” The GSA facility is designated to help government agencies meet conservation goals outlined in the Conservation Funding Agreement (CFA) under Belize’s Blue Bond initiative.
Through this investment, the Belize government and its partners continue to push forward with conservation milestones, working to protect the country’s marine resources and promote sustainable development. The Blue Bond Agreement represents Belize’s ongoing commitment to balancing ecological preservation with economic resilience, a goal made more achievable with this targeted investment in the Fisheries Department.
