The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place next November in Egypt, a new opportunity to jointly agree on more ambitious actions to put a brake on this threat facing the world.
By María Josefina Arce
The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place next November in Egypt, a new opportunity to jointly agree on more ambitious actions to put a brake on this threat facing the world.
For the Caribbean, given its high vulnerability to the natural phenomena brought about by climate change, this meeting is of great importance. Hence, in the run-up to COP27, the heads of government of the island nations of the area are meeting in Nassau, the capital of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, to discuss issues related to this challenge.
The objective of this meeting, in which Cuba is participating, is to present a common position in Egypt. In his speech at the Mitigation Panel, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero reiterated his country's willingness to work together to face this phenomenon.
Marrero stressed that the current climate crisis requires greater commitments from all countries, especially developed countries, which are the main emitters of greenhouse gases.
Cuba is fully committed to the protection of the environment and its biodiversity. Thus, in 2020 it updated its Nationally Determined Contribution until 2030, obligations assumed by the country for the reduction of these emissions and adaptation to climate change.
It includes more ambitious goals in several sectors such as forestry, agriculture, transportation and renewable energy. It seeks to increase electricity generation from so-called clean sources by up to 24% and to increase forest cover by 33%.
Despite the tightening of the U.S. blockade and the global health emergency due to COVID 19, Cuba was the thirteenth country to submit this document to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, as established in the Paris Agreement, in force since November 2016.
Our country has a comprehensive plan known as Tarea Vida to address and mitigate the impact of climate change and which involves various ministries, entities and the population.
In a first stage, the initiative included the relocation of a group of human settlements, located in areas threatened by rising seas, one of the consequences of this phenomenon.
Mangroves, important for reducing coastal erosion and protecting a large number of organisms, were also planted and restored. Beaches throughout the archipelago were also preserved and rehabilitated.
Cuba has also made its experience and knowledge in this area available to its Caribbean neighbors to mitigate the effects of this problem and move towards a more resilient Caribbean.
Climate change is a common challenge, a barrier to the development of the states in the area, which is why Cuba has always been committed to working together and carrying out joint projects to preserve the environment and human life.
