Government of Belize Case Study

Case Study: Government of Belize - Moving Towards a Low Carbon Development Path

About the client

The GoB has always kept a strong focus on sustainable development and decoupling its economic growth from the rise in its emissions levels. In April of 2016, the GoB submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as part of its contribution to achieving the ultimate international goal on climate change, with the aim of keeping global temperature rise well below 2°C.

The GoB is also part of the "Pilot Country" initiative of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). This initiative provides capacity development assistance to Belize to better integrate approaches to national planning that are in harmony with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The context

From 2014 to date, the GoB has chosen South Pole as a strategic partner for the development of three different mandates, all working towards creating a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) for the GoB.

The decision to work with South Pole has been based on the recurrent demonstration of strong technical and managerial capabilities, a sound record of providing high quality services related to the development of climate change mitigation projects and, most importantly the company's knowledge of relevant global climate change mechanisms and agreements.

The brief

During these first three mandates, South Pole was requested to perform a broad range of activities. Starting in 2014, the first activity was to identify priority mitigation projects and their linkage to the global carbon market, so the ones with the highest potential could be selected and bundled into Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs).

Later, the overall objective in 2015 was to design and implement a capacity building programme and to create a roadmap for the development and implementation
of a LCDS. Finally, in 2016, the goal was to update the LCD roadmap and align it to Belize's most recent public policy document, the Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy (GSDS).

The solution

The mandates were carried out successfully thanks to the participation and continuous interest from the public and private sectors, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), academia, and the donor community. The outcomes resulting from these first three mandates are not isolated efforts but meaningful parts of an ambitious nationwide plan to guide action for many years to come.

The challenge

The design of the mandates required not only an in-depth understanding of Belize's climate change background and plans for the future, but also a strong familiarity with the specific needs of its institutions.

Key benefits

The outcomes of these mandates brought to light areas of opportunity to decouple economic growth from carbon emissions. They also provided a sound list of projects with the potential of delivering tangible sustainable development benefits. Together, these outcomes have strengthened Belize's Low Carbon Development (LCD) path while helping the country reach its sustainable development goals and contribute to a brighter and cleaner future for all.

Why work with us

Valuable solutions for you

With a long list of satisfied clients, South Pole has living proof in its ability to successfully carry out a full spectrum of services for investment climate impact assessment. South Pole helps clients meet their needs and prosper while, at the same time, operate in way that helps fight climate change.

Global team

We are a truly global provider of sustainability solutions and services. Our team is made up of over 150 skilled and enthusiastic professionals from over 20 different countries, based in offices spanning 6 continents.

Proven impact

Since 2006, we have measured the climate impact of countless companies, projects and products worldwide. We have screened USD 50 bn+ of investments for their climate impact and we have developed 500+ projects in renewables, energy efficiency, forestry, agriculture, industry and households.

Through our efforts, 50 million tonnes of have been saved, almost as much as the CO ₂ emissions of Portugal. We have annual CO₂ enabled the production of 35,000 GWh of renewable energy (more than the annual electricity consumption of Denmark), and mobilised over USD 6 bn for clean energy investments in emerging markets. We have protected or restored over 250,000 km2 land, about as much as the total land mass of the UK.

In total, our projects have helped create almost 20,000 jobs in developing countries and we saved 17,000+ hectares of forest from deforestation, about the size of 24,000 soccer pitches.

Added value

We help you grow with groundbreaking solutions that benefit your business, the environment and society.