Environmental Geography

 Climate

The temperatures vary by altitude in Guatemala with yearly temperatures along the coast ranging from 77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. In the central highlands the temperature averages at 68 degrees Fahrenheit while in the higher mountains the temperatures average at 56 degrees Fahrenheit. The rainy season spans from May to October inland and into December for the coast. The dry season spans from November to January and because of Guatemala's temperate climate it has come to be know as the "Land of Eternal Spring". Below is a bar graph indicating yearly rainfall figures for Guatemala [1].

source: http://orphanshopeproject.org/images/Guateclimate.JPG

Deforestation

Guatemala houses a very diverse forest system which is home to 1246 species of amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals along with 8681 species of plants of which 13.5 percent are endemic, meaning that they are only found in Guatemala. Current forrest cover of the country stands between 25% and 33%, between 1990 and 2005 the country lost 17% of its forest cover. Guatemala's rural population is one of the poorest in Central America, therefore most of the people rely heavily on natural resources as there are not many work opportunities. National parks have also  fallen prey to illegal logging which has affected the Mayan Biosphere Reserve along with the Laguna del Tigre national park. Environmental groups are trying to develop community conservation projects that employ harvesting techniques that have less impact on the forests. Along with logging gold mining, construction of roads, and the clearing of land for grazing are also factors that attribute to deforestation. Deforestation has affected Guatemala with soil erosion which reduces agricultural efficiency along with making the hills more susceptible to landslides. In 2005 mudlsides which resulted from tropical storm Stan killed more than 1500 people [2]. Below is a video of a landslide that occurred in Guatemala 2009

Air Pollution

Guatemala city is heavily polluted by old school buses which were brought over from the United States, Guatemala's residents rely heavily on the buses for public transportation. Recently there has been an effort by the city to remove the old buses and introduce new ones. Smoke from trash burning in the dump as well as from factories also contribute to the thick haze present above Guatemala city. Below is an image of a bus in Guatemala city and the black smoke that it is expelling.

 source: http://farm1.staticflickr.com/53/148997041_ebc1b895b8_z.jpg

In other other parts of the country the smoke in ash from the occasional eruption of volcano can make the air somewhat hazy, but the worst pollution occurs during the dry season when there is agricultural burning and forest fires. Half of the energy consumption comes from burning firewood [3]. I remember while I was visiting Guatemala everywhere you went it smelled like something was burning whether it was trash or agricultural related fires, the air always smelled a little smoky.

[1] http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Guatemala-CLIMATE.html
[2] http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20guatemala.htm
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/guatemala/background/the-land/environmental-issues/air-quality