The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) is underway in Antigua. More than 20 world leaders, along with representatives from the private sector, civil society, academia, and youth—nearly 4,000 participants in total—have gathered at the American University to tackle critical issues impacting the future of SIDS.
The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) is underway in Antigua
Under the theme “Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity,” the four-day conference (27-30 May) will showcase innovations and develop practical solutions to address challenges driven by the climate emergency, spiralling debt, and health crises.
The conference will adopt The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), a Renewed Declaration for Resilient Prosperity, outlining the sustainable development aspirations of small islands over the next decade and the support required from the international community.
The session began with a recorded message from King Charles III. During his speech, King Charles III said, “I’ve seen the critical challenges you face and how they can multiply to a terrifying and existential degree. I have also seen how islands are leaders. You are continuously showing the world in tackling climate change, in protecting biodiversity and in stewarding incredibly 1/3 of the global ocean which is absolutely crucial in the fight against both climate change and nature loss.”
Secretary-general of the United Nations António Guterres
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his opening address, emphasized that SIDS are a “test case for climate justice and financial justice.” He decried the prospect of losing entire countries or cultures due to global warming and the disparities in the global financial system. Guterres called for bold investments from SIDS and substantial support from the international community, particularly from countries with the greatest responsibility and capacity to address these challenges. He underscored the urgency of implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS and demanded a fair and just global financial architecture.
SIDS, spanning the Pacific, Caribbean, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and South China Sea, are home to approximately 65 million people and manage 19.1 percent of the world’s Exclusive Economic Zones. Despite their high biodiversity and significant contributions to renewable energy, sustainable tourism, and conservation, these nations face unique vulnerabilities due to their small size, remote locations, and susceptibility to climate-induced disasters.
The villages of San Pedro Colombia, Jordan, Criquejute, and Ya’axche have all been impacted by wildfires. In response, the entire district of Toledo temporarily closed schools due to poor air quality and multiple fires affecting various villages.
A recent situation report from the Belize Red Cross Society gathered information from the Statistical Institute of Belize and Google, with information gathered from various news sources, to estimate the affected population.
According to the report, approximately 200 families, totaling around 800 individuals, have been affected by these fires across 19 communities and 600 acres in the Toledo district.
The Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve is experiencing severe forest fires that are affecting both the Toledo District and the air quality in the Cayo District. These forest fires have been burning in the Mountain Pine Ridge area for about three weeks. The local government has mobilised volunteers and defence forces to assist. At the request of NEMO, the Belize Red Cross has been distributing cooked lunches to community volunteers and the Belize Defence Force, with 160 plates distributed to date. Farmers and residents in remote areas have been particularly affected, with crops such as corn, avocado, cocoa, pasture, forests, and water sources being destroyed, leading to long-term devastating effects. Multiple agencies are collaborating to provide meals and other relief items, focusing on containing the fires and supporting the affected families.
Forest fires in Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve
NEMO Emergency Committees are on-site in the affected areas, providing support through the DANA Committee,conducting search and rescue operations (including fire suppression) with the Fire Department and the Belize Defence Force. They continue to monitor the situation to determine if further evacuations are necessary. So far, one family has been rescued and relocated to a shelter in Toledo. They are working closely with partner agencies to coordinate the response and have requested that the Belize Red Cross provide protective gear for volunteers fighting the fire, first aid services, and meals.
Preliminary assessments indicate that assistance will be needed for the affected population, particularly in the agriculture sector. The humanitarian aid required includes food, water, and hygiene products. Additionally, livelihood support over the next 3–6 months will be essential, which will encompass various forms of agricultural assistance. The agricultural ministries are particularly concerned about the losses in agriculture and are planning future steps to aid the recovery of the farmers.
It’s been several weeks of fire-fighting efforts across the country, as an extreme heatwave exacerbates the occurrence of wildfires. On May sixteenth, the Forest Department detected a fire that had broken out at the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve in Cayo District. As the largest forest reserve in the country, an uncontained fire could have severe, long-lasting effects on wildlife, as well as the neighboring areas. To combat these fires the department launched a collaborative effort to contain and extinguish these flames. While the efforts are still ongoing to manage a few of the fires, the department has reassured us that the situation is under control. For more insight into the process of saving the forest, News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the reserve and with some of the people who were working first-hand to do so. Here’s that story.
Britney Gordon
Britney Gordon, reporting
“I’m here at the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, standing in front of one of the few fires left to contain before it spreads further into the area.” The team at the Belize Forest Department is hoping that the flames will be extinguished by a nearby creek before it can spread into the area and possibly, into Belmopan.”
The past seven days have been a continuous effort to extinguish the flames making their way through the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Belize’s oldest and largest forest reserve. First established in 1944, the reserve spans over three hundred square miles and is home to rivers, waterfalls, a variety of fauna and as the name suggests, is brimming with thousands of pine trees. However, this natural resource, beloved by locals and tourists for its picturesque views, was recently put at risk when a wildfire broke and quickly started spreading within the area. The fires, which have been burning since last Wednesday, are believed to have been started by a lightning strike. Amin Bedran, Manager at Bulridge Limited, a sustainable logging company that manages Ridge Reserve, says the team jumped into action right away and has since been able to manage the blaze.
Amir Bedran
Amir Bedran, Manager, Bulridge Ltd.
“The fire started as they mentioned earlier with a lightning all the way by Kinloch. We are, east of Kinloch. The fire continued down towards the dam and we were working on this front. As you can see, if the fire had crossed this line, we are on Baki line. It would have been devastating because it would have burned all the way up to Granite Cairn. There’s no breaks between. The only way you can fight and control a fire in the Pine Ridge is with the roads. You can’t out this with water. You have to fight fire with fire by doing back burns.”
As Bedran mentioned, the fires were not doused with water. Instead, a method called back-burning was used. This process involved burning a counter-set of controlled fires to eliminate the fuel in the path of the approaching flames. Shanelly Carillo Balan, forest officer in charge at the Douglas D’silva Forest Station, explained that in order to create the fire line, which is the barrier to the progression of a wildfire, the team had to quickly open roads. They were able to accomplish this with the help of CISCO Construction.
Shanelly Carillo Balan
Shanelly Carillo Balan, Officer in Charge, Douglas D’silva Forest Station
“So at this location where we are right now, we are on line number one which you can see here. This is Douglas D‘Silva. This is where all the camps are, the houses, the offices. The fire was coming south to north, and we had to open this line here as a fire line. The fire was coming in this direction here. So what we had to do is in order to protect the station, the camp on this side, which is very close, we had to back-burn. And this is where you can see the big difference. So when you have the back-burn, you. put it, you make sure that it is done under a controlled environment as much as possible under the conditions that we were, fighting the wildfire and that way we have a fire fighting the wildfire coming back and that way we were able to it helps to make sure that we create a buffer.”
If the team had been unable to contain the fire, it would have put the neighboring camps and resorts at risk. However, they were successful in their mission and that area is no longer a threat.
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development & Climate Change
“The ministry, especially the forest department, which is overlooking these forest fires. It’s a concern for them because it falls under their jurisdiction. However, we must recognize also that some of the fires might be intentional fires because they are agricultural landscape fires, and they escape, and they get into the forest without control. Some of them are permitted fires, like what happens in industry. For example, the sugarcane industry, if it’s not controlled, these also get away and then it causes problems. Here in the Mountain Pine Ridge, concern for us because we know we have apart from the logging concessionaires who are up here, this is a real natural resource for the government and people of Belize, but we also have tourism. So we have the resorts, which are a concern because you have tourists, you have people who come up on weekends to spend time with their families. So certainly, a concern.”
Although these fires required immediate action to extinguish, fires within the reserve are not uncommon. Every year, the Belize Forest Department and its partners perform what is called a prescribed burn, which is a controlled set of fires set in order to clear debris on the forest floor to preserve the health of the forest and ensure that these decaying materials are cleared should a wildfire occur. The key to a good forest fire is maintaining control. John Pinelo, Deputy Chief Forest Officer at the Forest Department, further explained this process.
John Pinelo
John Pinelo, Deputy Chief Forest Officer, Belize Forest Department
“In a pine ecosystem, fires are necessary actually, annually we have fires going through. Preferably, we would like to be the ones burning the fires in the cool months, which we call a prescribed burn, and we make sure that we burn the litter that you see on the ground. If we leave this for a number of years, this will start growing, and it becomes a bigger fuel load on the ground. So when we do have fires, it burns really, really hot, and it causes more damage than help. But ordinarily, the ecosystem needs fires. So you don’t want to say that the fire is causing negative effects. It is in some areas, but mostly it’s a good fire we’re having.”
While the Forest Department led the charge in containing the fires, it was a collaborative effort between multiple stakeholders. The Chalillo Dam is used to generate hydroelectricity for Fortis Belize. As it is situated in Mountain Pine Ridge, the company was quick to offer assistance in the fire response mission. Tedford Pate, Operations Manager at Fortis Belize told us about these efforts.
Tedford Pate
Tedford Pate, Operations Manager, Fortis Belize
“We drove all the way to the location to see the extent of the fire, and we noticed that it was quite significant. So from that point, Saturday, we start to mobilize in collaboration with other stakeholders, the forest department primarily. And also, we had the support of mister Bedran with the Bulridge crew. We had mister David Penner providing support with bulldozers, graders, water trucks, BRC. Cisco construction, FCD eventually came out to assist with foot on the ground as well. And we also had about three quarters of our Fortis Belize crew as part of the boots on the ground extinguishing these fires. Astrum, however, was then summoned with the help of a helicopter to assist in this effort and it was very effective using that form of AIM. support. We wouldn’t have been this successful if it wasn’t for the Astram helicopter dousing the fire with water right here from the reservoir. So we are very grateful for all the support we have gotten.”
Preliminary findings indicate that thirty-eight-point nine percent of the reserve was affected by the fires. According to Habet, most of the trees in these areas are recoverable and will regenerate and produce seedlings within the next two months. For the few trees that are severely damaged, he anticipates that those will have a longer recovery time.
Orlando Habet
“From what we understand is that within three or four months, you will start seeing the seedlings already. Of course, many times on natural conditions, you don’t come out to do the thinning unless you do the planting. But the thinning is actually done by way of doing your burns and prescribed burns are very important. And it is something also where we are looking at lessons learned. Areas which possibly haven’t been burned for a while have now been burned purposely. But also the department is looking at maybe addressing some of these burns. And prescribed burns during the cooler part of the year, maybe November, December after the rainy season has ended to do some of those burns so that then you can still eliminate the extra material and fuel is on the ground before the dry season commences.”
While the teams continue their efforts to contain the few remaining fires, the public is advised to proceed with caution if they are planning to visit the reserve within the next week. Britney Gordon for News Five.
The Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management has welcomed a new task force in response to the surge of wildfires observed throughout the country. The National Wildfire Response Task Force was designed to provide immediate response to wildfires affecting Belize, particularly those in the Toledo and Cayo districts. The task force is to be led by the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, and is comprised of the National Fire Service, the Forest Department, the Belize Defense Force, Astrum Helicopters and several other key stakeholders. The task force met today and is coordinating several operations across the country, including the improvement of fire responses in the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, response to threats in the Elijio Panti National Park, and continued support of communities in the Toledo District being affected by fires.
The fight against the fires brought on by the severe regional heatwave is a continuous effort across the country. The recent fire at the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve drew great concern for the Forest Department, as resources and manpower were already divided amongst several fires in southern Belize. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, told us that it is due to the collaborative efforts between several organizations, that all the fires can be addressed and that additional assistance for the affected individuals is in the pipeline.
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change
“It was something that we had to make a decision on because we also knew that there were fires down south in Colombia. And so we wanted to share the personnel. But because NEMO had taken the leadership down because it’s now close to communities, they took jurisdiction of that and assistance from some of our fire department forest department personnel from the south in Machaca, and they also got assistance from the N.G.O.’s like TIDE who have a lot of experience doing fire training. And also with Ya’axche, they had a lot of help. So, we decided that it was best that we address this area with the personnel we had. I think within the limits of the towns and villages, it is very important that we stress information and education for the public because it is absolutely necessary for us to educate our public. Sometimes it’s just a small fire in the backyard fire that can get away and then the smoke and everything else is a problem. You see what’s happened in San Ignacio and Santa Elena during the past week. The air quality is really bad. You can’t come out and run or jog or exercise, do your bicycling because it is terrible.”
Reporter
“Sir, Columbia, the villagers have lost a lot of farmlands. I think close to 90 farmers were with Nima earlier this week assessing the damage. Is the government doing anything to assist these people? Because this is their entire livelihood gone just like that.”
Orlando Habet
“Yeah certainly the government will come in to assist. I think right now they’re doing some assessments to see the people who are affected, the farmers who are affected. And as any emergency and any event, a catastrophic event like this, then the government makes these assessments. And if it’s in the agriculture sector, then the Ministry of Agriculture goes in to assist. And then certainly with the housing, then NEMO comes in and then the Ministry of Human Development also comes in to assist. The government will have to use some type of funding, maybe a contingency fund to try to get the funding to assist these people.”
Last week, Belize’s U18/U20 athletes travelled to Costa Rica to compete in several sporting events. During the two-day event, the athletes won several medals.
In the U-20 category, Kali Magana, the reigning Central American 400m champion, continued her reign by winning both the 800m (2:19.82) and 400m (56.06) events. In the U-18 division, Jouvann Morgan impressed with two medals in the long and triple jumps, achieving a personal best of 5.85m in the long jump (bronze) and a personal record of 13.36m in the triple jump (silver).
Dario Crunckshanck secured a bronze in the high jump with a personal record of 1.85m, while Summer Francis earned a bronze in the U18 shot put with a new personal best of 10.24m. Other notable performances included Ruper Cardinez’s personal best of 11.25 in the 100m finals, Kamron Gentel’s personal records of 11.39 in the 100m and 23.13 in the 200m, and Aquile Flores’ 200m personal record of 23.80.
Nathan Pettingale set a new personal record in the javelin with a throw of 40.73m, finishing 4th, while Elvis Guzman’s 41.33m throw in the U20 javelin earned him 8th place in the finals. Emiain Sandoval reached the finals in the U18 100m with a personal record of 13.23, and Tamiai Bennett cleared 1.40m in the high jump for 7th place.
NOAA National Weather Service forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year. NOAA’s outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10% chance of a near-normal season and a 5% chance of a below-normal season.
NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 8 to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70% confidence in these ranges.
The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have above-normal activity due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical storm formation.
A summary infographic showing hurricane season probability and numbers of named storms predicted from NOAA’s 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. (Image credit: NOAA)
“With another active hurricane season approaching, NOAA’s commitment to keeping every American informed with life-saving information is unwavering,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “AI-enabled language translations and a new depiction of inland wind threats in the forecast cone are just two examples of the proactive steps our agency is taking to meet our mission of saving lives and protecting property.”
“Severe weather and emergencies can happen at any moment, which is why individuals and communities need to be prepared today,” said FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik A. Hooks. “Already, we are seeing storms move across the country that can bring additional hazards like tornadoes, flooding and hail. Taking a proactive approach to our increasingly challenging climate landscape today can make a difference in how people can recover tomorrow.”
A summary graphic showing an alphabetical list of the 2024 Atlantic tropical cyclone names as selected by the World Meteorological Organization. The official start of the Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 and runs through November 30. (Image credit: NOAA)
As one of the strongest El Ninos ever observed nears its end, NOAA scientists predict a quick transition to La Nina conditions, which are conducive to Atlantic hurricane activity because La Nina tends to lessen wind shear in the tropics. At the same time, abundant oceanic heat content in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea creates more energy to fuel storm development.
This hurricane season also features the potential for an above-normal west African monsoon, which can produce African easterly waves that seed some of the strongest and longer-lived Atlantic storms. Finally, light trade winds allow hurricanes to grow in strength without the disruption of strong wind shear,and also minimize ocean cooling. Human-caused climate change is warming our ocean globally and in the Atlantic basin, and melting ice on land, leading to sea level rise, which increases the risk of storm surge. Sea level rise represents a clear human influence on the damage potential from a given hurricane.
A stage collapse caused by strong winds at a campaign rally in San Pedro Garza García, Mexico, resulted in nine deaths and 121 injuries. Candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez was present but uninjured. Governor Samuel García Sepúlveda pledged to cover funeral and hospital costs for the victims, including a minor who died.
The incident, which happened on Wednesday was captured on video, showed a sudden gust causing the stage to fall, injuring many. Videos shared on social media showed the moment a strong gust caused the stage to collapse. Álvarez Máynez and his team can be seen running for cover as the structure, which included a large video screen, falls onto the stage and part of the audience area. Footage taken in the aftermath of the accident shows a large number of emergency vehicles at the scene, their lights flashing in the darkness, as injured people are carried away. The area was cordoned off and guarded by heavily armed security personnel.
Álvarez Máynez has suspended his campaign to focus on the victims.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed condolences and urged an investigation. The accident occurred amid preparations for Mexico’s largest election on June 2, marked by significant political violence, with 28 candidates attacked and 16 killed this year. The presidential race features two leading female candidates, Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Gálvez.
Pope Francis has attributed a second miracle to Carlo Acutis, moving him closer to canonization, the Vatican announced on Thursday.
Carlo Acutis, often referred to as the patron saint of the internet among Roman Catholics, passed away from leukaemia at the age of 15 in 2006. Known for his computer skills, Carlo used the internet to share his faith.
After his death, Antonia Acutis received messages from people worldwide claiming medical miracles, such as cures for infertility and cancer, after praying to Carlo.
Carlo’s path to sainthood began in 2020, when the Diocese of Assisi petitioned the Vatican. In February of that year, Pope Francis attributed the healing of a boy with a malformed pancreas to Carlo, marking his beatification. For canonization, a second miracle was required.
The second recognised miracle involves a woman from Costa Rica named Liliana, who prayed at Carlo’s tomb in Assisi on July 8, 2022. Liliana’s daughter Valeria had suffered severe head trauma from a bicycle accident in Florence on July 2. She required critical brain surgery with a low survival chance. Liliana’s secretary began praying to Blessed Carlo, and Liliana herself made a pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb. That same day, Valeria began breathing spontaneously, followed by improvements in movement and speech. A CAT scan on July 18 showed the haemorrhage had disappeared, and Valeria was moved to rehabilitation on August 11. On September 2, Liliana and Valeria returned to Assisi to thank Blessed Carlo.
