CCCCC, Govts Of Belize, Italy Break Ground For Multi-Purpose Facility

(CCCCC Press Release) The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), in collaboration with the Governments of Belize and Italy, held a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a Community Multi-purpose Emergency Centre (CMEC) at the Victor Galvez Stadium, in San Ignacio, Belize on Wednesday, November 28, 2018.

The project “Reducing the Carbon Footprint of San Ignacio and Five Surrounding Villages in the Cayo District” is being implemented as a collaborative effort by the Government of Belize and the CCCCC with financial support from the Government of Italy. Approximately 25,000 residents in San Ignacio and surrounding villages are expected to benefit directly from the project at completion. The project include replacing existing street lighting in San Ignacio with more efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights and the building of a multi-purpose facility for use as a disaster shelter and a community centre.

Project Manager Mr Joseph McGann noted that the project aims to build the recipient communities’ resilience to climate change and climate variability, which has led to increased intensity of extreme meteorological events in the form of hurricanes, floods, and droughts. These events have had profound negative impacts on national economies of Small Islands and Coastal Developing States (SIDS), threatening the survival of the most vulnerable populations and communities in these States, including Belize. With the implementation of the project, the Government of Belize, aims to:

Quantify the benefits to be derived from the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission, through the use of more efficient lighting systems; and
Reduce the vulnerability of rural communities to the impacts of extreme weather and other disaster generating events.

Read more at: Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre