Say NO! to Offshore Oil Exploration/Extraction in Belize

We the undersigned, call on the Government of Belize to ban Offshore Oil Exploration and Extraction Procedures immediately.

Not only does offshore drilling open the way for higher risk of pollution and bio-hazard disasters but the byproducts released into the air can poison the local fish populations that people consume around the world. Another major drawback is that the explosions used for seismic exploration which are measured to around 260db that causes brain hemorrhaging and beaching of sea creatures. Thousands of people come to Belize to fish, swim our waters and look to it as an escape from the rest of the world. One small oil spill could destroy the largest LIVING barrier reef in the world, the Meso-American Barrier Reef System(MBRS), and then the tourist industry would come to a close here.. Remember the hundreds of whales that beached near Madagascar when ExxonMobil was testing in 2008?

Oil spills over water are the most dangerous due to the non-mixing of water and oil which causes the oil to spread over great distances and destroy marine ecosystems. Our waters are home to many endangered species or sea life. The coast of Belize is home to many species of marine wildlife like the Coral Reef, Sea Turtles, Manatees and many other endangered or threatened species.

Allowing offshore drilling to happen or even to test for the possibility of oil off our shores will do very little if anything to help with fuel costs and we've already seen that with the current drilling taking place; actually if we look at the short history of oil production in Belize, we can say for a fact that it increases cost. We must also remember that the effects of a spill no matter how small can wreak havoc on beach-front properties, fishing, tourism, wildlife, drinking water and humans; all of which play a huge role in the success of our country and its economy.

Another point I must bring up is that oil drilling opens up large spaces underground where the oil once filled which in turn can cause under sea erosions that can eventually cause a huge shift in the ecosystem marine life use for laying eggs and raising their young.

The oil companies do not care about the environment and what they do to the area they work in. They will do whatever it takes to mask the real dangers of drilling for oil, remember they have billions of dollars and scores of attorneys and possibly even environmentalists at their disposal. Like we Belizeans say, "No monkey weh seh ih pikney ugly" (No monkey will say their child is ugly); we cannot expect them to tell the truth of what kind of destruction, degradation and damages are really being caused by their operations.

If we allow drilling, we will only have a few years of actual oil production and from past records it can take several years to start producing marketable quantities of oil. Would we not rather keep our waters free of these harmful and destructive rigs and invest in caring for our ecosystems instead? Honestly, look at it this way, we can have a few years of oil production after years of seismic explosions damaging the ecosystem only to test if they can even use our maritime space for oil, the lingering effect of having these huge rigs as part of our landscape and the destruction and risks caused to the lives it can and will impact; or do we keep our water's clean and invest in the upkeep and preservation of it which will in turn provide hundreds of years of profits from tourism, fisheries and providing a healthy home and environment.

With technology developing so fast and becoming more feasible to implement we should be looking at other alternative energy sources like solar and wind which allows us to protect the environment. Another way to cut down on oil costs is to aide, enhance and promote public transportation, car-pooling as well as design for walking and bike riding when planning out cities, towns and villages. These are just a few examples of ways we can adapt to help the environment and ease our dependency on fossil fuels.

Think of the future, oil will not last forever and we cannot see it as a long-term or a smart investment. It is a short term energy provider that will run out and leave in its wake destruction and hurt too many lives including ours. We need to start looking forward for alternative energy providing solutions. If the government would start promoting energy efficient vehicles and stop allowing importation of gas guzzlers like the Hummers, old vehicles and diesel generators; we would notice a big difference in the amount of oil needed to run Belize. Start allowing people to use solar and wind alternatives and slow the reliance on oil power. There are many ways to keep Belize running other than oil.