According to the IPCC, the climate is changing and is projected to continue to do so during the present century at an unprecedented rate. This is largely due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere as a consequence of fossil fuel combustion, and which remains unabated. It is projected that by 2100 there will be a temperature increase of 1.10C to 2.9oC, an increase in the incidence of dry spells by approximately 8-10 percent, intensification of tropical cyclones, and sea level rise by between 0.26m to 0.55m.
In its Fourth Assessment Report, the IPCC highlighted observed and projected changes in the region’s climate, and their adverse consequences. These include more intense storms and storm surges, accelerated sea level rise, a higher incidence of drought, and reduced crop yields, and are projected to have significant negative impacts on the region’s economies and livelihoods. Adaption to these impacts from existing studies according to the World Bank have cost the region between US$4 billion to US$109 billion a year, and the costs are expected to increase in coming decades, as global greenhouse gas emissions increase
The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) was recently awarded a grant under the Project Preparation Facility (PPF) of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to enable Belize to develop and implement the “Arundo donax Renewable Bio-mass Fuel for Belize Project” aimed to investigate and demonstrate the efficacy of Arundo donax as a renewable energy source, as part of its Energy Resilience for Climate Adaptation Project (ERCAP), using Belize as a pilot site. This project intends to utilize an indigenous fast-growing perennial rhizomatous grass (Arundo donax or Wild Cane) for cultivation on marginal lands in Belize.
Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation are a major cause of anthropogenic climate change. Many Caribbean states employ the use of fossil fuel as the main source of energy thus increasing their carbon footprint in the world today, while at the same time increasing the cost of energy as the price for fossil fuel increases. BELCOGEN in Belize, and other sugar factories in the Caribbean inclusive of Guyana, have implemented cogeneration facilities that utilise bagasse (a by-product of sugarcane) to generate electricity. Biomass energy produced by BELCOGEN powers the factory and excess production is fed into the national grid, which accounts for approximately 26% of the energy produced in Belize compared to 66% from imported fossil fuel. However, biomass energy generation by BELCOGEN only occurs during the sugarcane harvesting season, and is usually not enough to keep the cogeneration plant operating at the suitable output for the entire year, hence, the interest in Arundo donax to augment the supply of bagasse so that the plant can produce renewable energy year-round. A. donax was identified as a suitable fuel crop that can contribute to energy cogeneration throughout the year and assist with the reduction of fossil fuel importation in Belize.
The CCCCC has afforded me this opportunity interact and learn from some of the brightest scientific minds and renewable energy specialist within the region garnishing the skills and understanding to contribute in a significant way to climate change and energy resilience within the Caribbean by assessing the feasibility of A. donax as a fuel source for cogeneration at BELCOGEN in Belize. For such a task the biomass yield, total yields and soil parameters are assessed, including the optimum climate and other environmental conditions under which growth rates and yields of A. donax are optimized
