In a victory for environmental groups, Belize’s Supreme Court ruled on April 16th to annul oil drilling contracts in the waters of the Belize Barrier Reef, the 960-square-kilometer (370-sq-mile) network of coral reefs that forms part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system in the world. The ruling came in response to a challenge from a coalition of environmental, tourism and other civic groups concerned about the potential impact of an oil spill on Belize’s ecology and economy. It was a stinging rebuke to the government, which from 2004 to 2007 awarded U.S. and Belizean companies six contracts for exploration of reef waters. The court ruled the government violated the law by not carrying out environmental-impact assessments... [Log in to read more]