Humberto Rivero Cuban Ambassador. Cuba is the most populous island nation in the Caribbean with more than 11 million people.In 1996, tourism surpassed the sugar industry as the largest source of hard currency for Cuba. Cuba has tripled its market share of Caribbean tourism in the last decade; 1.9 million tourists visited Cuba in 2003, predominantly from Canada and the European Union, generating revenue of $2.1 billion.The rapid growth of tourism during the Special Period had widespread social and economic repercussions in Cuba, and led to speculation about the emergence of a two-tier economy.">Humberto Rivero Cuban Ambassador. Cuba is the most populous island nation in the Caribbean with more than 11 million people.In 1996, tourism surpassed the sugar industry as the largest source of hard currency for Cuba. Cuba has tripled its market share of Caribbean tourism in the last decade; 1.9 million tourists visited Cuba in 2003, predominantly from Canada and the European Union, generating revenue of $2.1 billion.The rapid growth of tourism during the Special Period had widespread social and economic repercussions in Cuba, and led to speculation about the emergence of a two-tier economy.">

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Cuba reduces greenhouse gases

Published: Thu, 2011-02-17 18:43. Humberto Rivero Cuban Ambassador. Cuba is the most populous island nation in the Caribbean with more than 11 million people.In 1996, tourism surpassed the sugar industry as the largest source of hard currency for Cuba. Cuba has tripled its market share of Caribbean tourism in the last decade; 1.9 million tourists visited Cuba in 2003, predominantly from Canada and the European Union, generating revenue of $2.1 billion.

The rapid growth of tourism during the Special Period had widespread social and economic repercussions in Cuba, and led to speculation about the emergence of a two-tier economy.

Our guest columnist on Cleaning Up The Mess today is the Ambassador of Cuba to Trinidad and Tobago, Humberto Rivero, who tells us how his country balances development with environmental preservation.

Achieving sustainability in developing countries is a challenge that requires significant political, economic and social transformations. In Cuba, the principles of “sustainable development” are the foundation of development policies and plans as considered by Article 27 of the Fundamental Law.

This constitutional formulation is implemented by the existing legal and strategic frameworks. A relevant achievement is, among others, the increase in forest coverage. In 1492, the forest coverage in Cuba was estimated as 95 per cent. In 1959, due to the indiscriminate extension of the sugar cane industry and from years of irrational exploitation of Cuban forests which practically eradicated our most valuable woodland resources, the forest coverage of the country descended to 14 per cent.

At the end of 2009, forest coverage has raised to 25.75 per cent. The enacting of Law No 85 “Forestry Law” in 1998, a juridical instrument with a profound environmental character, the establishment in 2006 of the National Forestry Programme and the development of a community participation programme named “Plan Manati” made the miracle.

Since 2005, the country developed a set of programmes in the energy sector, with the aim of achieving increased capacity for the generation of electricity with efficient technologies, reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, as well as encouraging the development of renewable sources of energy. More than 27 million energy-guzzling electrical appliances or devices and approximately 9.5 million of light bulbs were replaced with more efficient ones, which besides creating a better quality of life for the population meant an important reduction of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Cuba stands out with its high coverage of water and sanitation. In urban areas sanitation coverage involves 97.7 per cent of the population. The quality of the services is a key aspect in the sector and is related to water quality, supply per capita and time of service. The biological diversity of the Cuban archipelago is characterised by the great diversity of ecosystems and the high degree of endemism, especially in plants and in some animal groups as mollusks, amphibians and bats. Land and maritime areas receive special protection through the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP).

The SNAP comprises 252 protected areas of different categories, 81 of them already approved by Law.Outstanding is the national programme to face the impacts of climate change established in 2007. In this context a macro project on “Scenarios of hazards and vulnerability of the Cuban coastal zone associated with sea-level rise for the years 2050 and 2100,” is delivering important results aimed to assess the risks linked to the impact of climate change and to identify adaptation measures that will be a component of the socio-economic development programmes of the country.

Cuba has a history of more than 20 years working on harmonising socio-economic activities and the care of natural resources. It is an example of incorporating the principles of sustainable development into national policies and programmes.”

Humberto Rivero
Cuban Ambassador

Source:www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/02/17/cuba-reduces-greenhouse-gases

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