What Is Belize, Central America, Doing to Address Climate Change Exploring International Transfers and Government Programs

The authors explore in detail the transnational transfers dedicated to climate change in one small but fairly vulnerable country to a changing climate, Belize, Central America (ND Gain Index 114 –Vulnerability 108; Readiness 124 downward trend). As the Paris Accords get underway it may be useful to more fully reflect on previous international transfers to vulnerable countries like Belize, to see how these funds have been used to address climate change. Data collected through on-going fieldwork and online information on development projects reveal unexpected findings. They show that over a 25-year period, 1991 to 2015, Belize received considerable international assistance for climate change under mitigation and adaptation, some seventy projects across various development sectors. More specifically, during this time, Belize acquired over $100 million (US) under mitigation designations alone, even though the country’s GHG emission levels can at best make tiny contributions to total global emissions levels (see Brechin 2016). These and other results suggest the need for greater exploration of international transfers in other countries which might suggest the need for greater rationalization of international development assistance dedicated to addressing climate change to assure most effective use of scare development-related resources.