Belize First NDC (Archived)

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Category: UNFCCC

Document Type: Nationally Determined Contribution

Role: Main

Summary of Belize's First Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted in 2016.

This document represents Belize's First Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), submitted in 2016 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and pursuant to the Paris Agreement. Belize, acknowledging its limited contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions as a small country, commits to strategically transitioning to low carbon development while simultaneously strengthening its resilience to the effects of climate change. The NDC is guided by existing national frameworks, policies, projects, and activities that offer mitigation and sustainable development co-benefits. The NDC is consistent with the overall goal of the Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy (GSDS), the nation's primary planning document, which focuses on medium-term economic development, poverty reduction, and longer-term sustainable development. Belize's NDC comprises both a mitigation and an adaptation component. Belize's mitigation potential is stated to be largely dependent on national circumstances, capacity, and support. The country's emissions profile is influenced by factors including its vast natural resources (forests, waterways), socio-economic dependence on these resources (particularly in agriculture and tourism), a growing and urbanizing population, and increasing energy demands. The NDC references several existing policy frameworks developed to address these issues over the preceding decade, including Horizon 2010-2030, the National Energy Policy Framework, the Sustainable Energy Action Plan 2014-2033, the National Climate Resilience Investment Plan 2013, the Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy 2016-2019, and the National Climate Change Policy, Strategy (name incomplete in text). The document does not specify quantitative mitigation targets, deadlines, or compliance dates within this initial section, focusing instead on the strategic approach and foundational policy context.

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Full text:

BELIZE
Nationally Determined Contribution under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change
Belize is pleased to present its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
pursuant to decision 1 CP/21 of the Paris Agreement
1. National Context
Climate Change is already affecting the livelihoods of much of our population. Belize
as a small country with relatively minor contributions to global greenhouse gas
emissions has limited capacity to contribute to mitigation of global climate change.
However, Belize is committed to achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention
and supports the even more ambitious target to limit the increase in global average
temperature to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. In light of these realities,
Belize’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is guided by its commitment to
strategically transition to low carbon development while strengthening its resilience to
the effects of Climate Change.
In that regard, Belize intends to utilize existing frameworks, policies, projects and
activities that provide mitigation and sustainable development co-benefits to
conceptualize the elaboration of its NDC.
The NDC for Belize is consistent with the overall goal of the Growth and Sustainable
Development Strategy (GSDS) which encompasses medium-term economic
development, poverty reduction, and longer-term sustainable development. The
GSDS is the nation’s primary planning document and outlines four critical success
factors for the development of our country and to ensure a better quality of life for all
Belizeans, living now and in the future.
Belize is pleased to submit its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) which is
comprised of a mitigation and adaptation component.
1

2. Belize’s Mitigation Potential
Belize’s mitigation potential will largely depend upon national circumstances, capacity
and support.
Belize’s emissions profile is symptomatic of several factors including:
1. Vast extent of natural resources – Belize has a network of waterways and water
bodies including 16 watersheds and numerous smaller ones. Approximately 59
percent of the country remains under natural vegetation while 39.1% of the
terrestrial area is made up of protected forests, and a great variety of terrestrial,
marine and freshwater ecosystemsi;
2. Socio-economic dependence on those resources for livelihood and for
sustaining economic growth particularly through the agriculture and tourism
sectors;
3. A rapidly growing and urbanizing population (with over a third in poverty and a
largely unskilled labor force);
4. Concomitantly increasing energy demands.
Belize has developed several policy frameworks over the last decade to respond to
these issues. These include: (1) Horizon 2010-2030, (2) National Energy Policy
Framework, (3) Sustainable Energy Action Plan 2014-2033, (4) National Climate
Resilience Investment Plan 2013, (5) Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy
2016-2019 and (6) the National Climate Change Policy, Strategy and Action Plan
2015-2020.
Horizon 2030 is the national development framework; which was developed after

Tags: Adaptation, Adaptation Planning, Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Risks, Development, Energy, Energy Transition, Forests, Governance, Institutions / Administrative Arrangements, Mitigation, Policy, Planning, Unfccc, Paris Agreement

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