Climate change is a global phenomenon that greatly impacts urban life. In Belize, national reports indicate that climate change is already having significant impacts on the territory, population, and key economic sectors. Long droughts, floods, increased coastal erosion, and changing precipitation patterns are the main impacts registered to date, and in the future, these effects are expected to increase.

The City of Belmopan is a city that was designed as a response to natural disasters, to ensure the country would have a functioning capital despite the storms, even before climate change was an issue in our collective minds. Now, Belmopan is facing the challenges of rapid urban growth, combined with those of climate change.

The Climate Action Guidelines, formulated by the City Council, with support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC), Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030), of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and Capital Cities of the Americas facing Climate Change (CC35), will provide a roadmap for addressing climate change. This is our first Climate Action Guidelines document, and we find that there is little data and information disaggregated at the local level.

Our guidelines emphasize no-regret actions and actions that have potential co-benefits. Belmopan must find innovative ways to leverage our strengths to promote clean and sustainable economic growth, while increasing the resilience of our communities.

Miss Sheran “Sharon” Palacio Mayor of Belmopan