Natural resources, energy and environment
Guatemala has natural resources such as oil
and minerals, as well as hydropower and fertile soil.
The energy demand is mainly covered by firewood, fossil
fuels and hydropower. The extraction of natural
resources causes both environmental problems and social
conflicts.
The oil resources are mainly found in El Petén in the
north. Recovery increased from the end of the 1990s but
has declined again in recent years. High world market
prices make the oil less competitive. The country lacks
refining capacity and most of what is extracted is
exported as crude oil.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Major exports by Guatemala with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
There are also assets of nickel, iron, gold, silver,
lead, zinc and antimony, mainly in the western and
northern parts of the country. Marble, limestone and
gravel are extracted to some extent. Timber is also an
important natural resource (see also Agriculture and
Fisheries).
Firewood is the main source of energy and accounts
for just over half of total energy consumption. In rural
areas, the population is often completely dependent on
wood burning for both heating, cooking and small-scale
industries.
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Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, GT stands for Guatemala.
About a third of electricity today comes from
hydropower. The potential for hydroelectric power is
great in Guatemala, which has many rivers and high
altitude differences, but hydroelectric power's share of
electricity generation has decreased from more than half
in the mid-1990s. Instead, mainly coal burning has
increased and fossil fuels now account for almost 40
percent of electricity. Biofuels generate about 15
percent, while other renewable sources account for
smaller proportions. However, investments are made on
both solar and wind power. Nuclear power does not exist.
The electricity grid has been linked to Mexico since
2008. Five years later, the Central American electricity
grid Siepac, which connects six countries down to Panama
in the south, was inaugurated.
The oil drilling in the north has done great damage
to the rich animal and plant life there, but there are
signs of serious environmental degradation throughout
the country. Mineral exploitation with mining, for
example, has caused damage that has triggered protests
both locally and internationally. Forest felling and
soil erosion are also difficult problems. The mangrove
swamp on the Pacific coast is threatened by both shrimp
cultivation and sugarcane cultivation. In addition, the
use of fossil fuels contributes to environmental
problems.
There are many conflicts - many of them violent -
concerning the mining industry, hydropower and land
rights. According to the constitution, indigenous
peoples should be asked about projects that affect their
land, but the authorities rarely respect it. When it
comes to underground resources, such as minerals and
oil, a special mining law applies. Under this law, the
underground assets belong to the state, which can sell
them to foreign companies without consulting the area's
residents. Individual organizations have long demanded
that the mining law be tightened.
FACTS - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Energy use per person
825 kilos of oil equivalent (2014)
Electricity consumption per person
575 kWh, kWh (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
18 328 thousand tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
1.2 tonnes (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
63.7 percent (2015)
2012
November
Severe earthquake is affecting the country
About 50 people die in an earthquake that causes severe landslides and leaves
tens of thousands of residents without electricity. The quake, whose center is
off the Pacific coast, is the most powerful to hit the country since 1976, when
25,000 Guatemalans were killed in an earthquake.
October
Protesters are shot to death by military
Six people belonging to indigenous peoples are shot dead in a demonstration
against the government in the province of Totonicapán in the west. The killing
shots are fired by the military called to the scene to support the police. The
incident brought new life to the debate over President Pérez Molinas's
criticized decision to allow the military to help the police maintain law and
order (see January 2012). Nine soldiers are arrested for the shooting, including
the commander of the force.
August
The National Police Chief is sentenced to prison
Another conviction falls during the civil war when a former national police
chief is sentenced to 70 years in prison for the abduction and torture of a
student in 1981. Pedro García Arredondo is the highest ranking police officer
jailed for war crimes in Guatemala. He is also charged with murder.
July
Ministers injured in demonstration
During a demonstration in Guatemala City against higher rates for teacher
training courses, dozens of people - including the interior minister and the
education minister - are injured in clashes with police.
April
Mass protest against development project
Over 100,000 people take part in a more than a week-long protest march
organized by indigenous groups. Demonstrators demand a halt to mining and
hydropower projects on land used by indigenous people. They also demand that the
land reform promised in the peace agreement be implemented.
March
The president wants to decriminalize drugs
At a Central American summit, Pérez Molina advocated the decriminalization of
drugs, as a way to combat the widespread corruption and organized crime that
followed in the drug trafficking trail in the region. Other Latin American
presidents have proposed to him the legalization of marijuana.
Additional massacres
Yet another former soldier is sentenced to prison for his role in the 1982
massacre at Dos Erres (see August 2011 and December 2011). The man extradited
from the United States in 2010 is sentenced to 6,060 years in prison - 30 years
for each of the murders, and 30 years for crimes against humanity. Shortly
afterwards, five former militia members are sentenced to similarly long
sentences for another massacre, of 256 people in the village of Plan de Sánchez,
also in 1982. In practice, a maximum of 50 years can be spent in prison in
Guatemala.
February
Tax reform begins
Congress adopts the first part of a comprehensive tax reform, which the
powerful business community has opposed. The law package is based on a proposal
that Colom tried in vain to pass through during his four years in power. This
means, among other things, that the tax levy as a percentage of GDP will
increase to just over 13 percent within four years. At the same time, corporate
income tax is reduced from 35 to 21 percent. Pérez Molina also launches an
initiative called "Hambre Cero" (zero hunger), which reminds many of the
representative of Colom's poverty reduction. According to Pérez Molina, 49
percent of Guatemala's population suffers from malnutrition.
January
Ex-dictator is charged with genocide
Former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt is placed under house arrest and charged
with genocide and crimes against humanity in connection with massacres committed
by the military against villagers during Ríos Montt's tenure as president from
1982 to 1983. This has happened since his prosecution expired, as he is no
longer a congressman (see November 2007). The prosecutor says Ríos Montt is
behind 100 massacres which, in total, claimed nearly 1,800 lives and drove
29,000 people from their homes. A few months later, Ríos Montt is also charged
with ordering the massacre in the village of Dos Erres in 1982 (see August
2011).
Pérez Molina takes over as president
January 14
Otto Pérez Molina takes over as president. One of his first steps is to order
the military to assist the police throughout the country in the fight against
organized crime.
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