Environmental subjects have moved beyond scientific circles to become a priority for the government of Cuba, a source for the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment stated today.

This is not a new matter; since the 1990s the changes in temperature, rainfall, periods of drought, and the increase in sea level have been researched, emphasized Orlando Rey, the Climate Change Evaluator of the Ministry.

Data supported by scientific studies have confirmed that the climate in Cuba is becoming increasingly hot; changes in cyclone activity have been observed with intense hurricanes and floods presenting a danger for the national environmental heritage and for man-made structures near the coasts, stated Rey in a press conference.

All the knowledge acquired during these years enabled the government to approve the Government Plan for Confronting Climate Change, known as Tarea Vida, or Task of Life, on April 25, 2017, environmental expert Rey recalled, at the Ministry.

The subject of the environment became increasingly influential in all spheres/in Cuba, where there are relevant short-term, medium-term and long-term policies, and, even while the nation is fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, they have continued to pursue actions on the environmental front, he added.

“For some time now the climate of Cuba has been changing and we are preparing to learn to live with this,” he said.

The Tarea Vida – Task of Life – plan establishes standards and guidelines and each ministry needs to draw up a strategy, while each region will adapt the fundamentals to their own conditions, bearing in mind that this is a constant learning process, the specialist stated.

It is essential that all public bodies work together, increase their connectedness and communication, that research combines global and local issues, and that the costs of carrying out each strategy be determined.

The Government Plan is made up of five strategic actions and 11 tasks, and is inspired by the thinking of Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution. In the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012 where Commander in Chief Fidel said, “An important biological species is in danger of disappearing due to the rapid and progressive elimination of the natural environment it requires conditions for life: human beings…”

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – Cuba, translation Resumen – English