Image taken from Archivo/RHC

By María Josefina Arce 

Tarea Vida, the Cuban government's plan to confront climate change, arrived in Glasgow, Scotland, where the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held until the 12th of November.

 Preserving people's lives is the fundamental objective of this program, which was made known in the Scottish city through the screening of a documentary that reflects the government's efforts to increase resilience to this phenomenon.

Tarea Vida was launched four years ago to mitigate the effects of climate change, already visible through extreme events such as hurricanes, droughts and rising sea levels.

Although Cuba is among the least polluting countries, its insular condition makes it highly vulnerable to this phenomenon, which puts life on the planet at risk.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment assumes and executes the plan, based on a large number of multidisciplinary scientific results.

Five strategic actions and 11 tasks make up this initiative, which aims to counteract the effects of this climatic process in the most vulnerable areas, mostly located in coastal regions.

According to the latest studies, sea levels are expected to rise by 30 centimeters by 2050, a figure that rises to 95 centimeters by 2100.

For this reason, one of the actions is aimed at relocating communities near the coastline to higher ground, in order to protect the lives of their inhabitants and material resources.

It also includes raising awareness among the population and agencies so that the new settlements to be built are located in safe areas.

Another of Tarea Vida's contributions is the restoration of more than 40,000 hectares of mangroves, which, according to specialists, function as a natural protective barrier for the coast, in the face of strong tidal waves and rising sea levels.

Multiple actions are being developed as part of this program and are also aimed at the conservation of marine ecosystems, soil recovery and obtaining crops that are more resistant to adverse weather conditions.

Based on the interaction with all the country's scientific institutions and popular participation, Tarea Vida is a reflection of Cuba's commitment and effort to face one of the greatest challenges of today's world, climate change.