A healthy discussion has begun in Belize on whether or not there should be off shore drilling. The Pro’s and Con’s of the matter can be discussed at length, after all there are legitimate reasons why there should or should not be drilling in Belize’s Waters.
The first reason why there should not be any drilling is the all too obvious one; as with anything there are risks involved in drilling offshore and the potential for an oil spill is a real one. Take for example the most recent one that is taking place in the Gulf of Louisiana. That catastrophic spill is taking a toll on wildlife at sea and is also draining millions upon millions of dollars which are being used to try to contain the spill. For Belize, with its ecologically pristine marine environment, in particular the Barrier Reef, the Blue Hole and the atolls as well as the marine life; offshore drilling poses significant threats to these natural resources which many may want to argue is a risk that we should not even contemplate.
Of course the counter argument to allow for drilling would be that while there are risks involved and there is the possibility of spills, there too are preventative measures that can be taken to ensure that the possibility of a spill is next to nil. This is not to say that errors cannot occur, but we cannot torment ourselves thinking the worst when in reality not a single oil rig has been established in Belizean waters. Risks and the potential environmental damage that can be cause to Belize’s waters aside; there is the economic aspect of finding oil at sea. Of course there would be immediate benefits to the Belizean economy.
Money through the taxation of the oil industry would be flowing directly into government’s coffers and in turn there would be more money that would be invested in infrastructure, social programs and other areas of development within the country. Of course the negative to this would be, again, the possibility of a spill. This would mean that the pristine condition of certain areas of our waters would be no more. That would also have an immediate economic impact on the economy, this can be summed up in one word, Tourism. Damage to Belize’s waters would mean that the thousands of tourists who visit Belize solely for its unique marine ecosystems would stop coming if the damage done by a spill is significant enough. There is also the livelihood of hundreds of fishermen who would be put at risk, after all these fishermen make their living from Belize’s waters. Take that away and the economic impact would be significant.
The Prime Minister has gone on record to say that while there is a buzz about the issue of whether or not drilling should take place in Belizean waters, he says that government is concerned about the issue but not to the extent where the possibility of oil exploration offshore will be completely put on hold. In the end however, what must be considered is that while there are concession blocks that have been given out to various companies to begin the exploratory stage of drilling, not a single one of these is even remotely close to begin the exercise of drilling for oil. When and if they ever are, we can rest assured that the government of Belize will take the necessary steps to ensure that an oil spill never occurs in Belizean waters. We can rest assured that the weighing of the pro’s and con’s of oil exploration will be taken into keen consideration and when the decision is made, it will be the right one.
