Cuba: From Caribbean storms to new climate plans
Welcome to Climate Weekly!
Each week we ask one guest writer from our network to give you a short selection of some of the best climate news from their region.
This week, we travel to Cuba with Eileen Sosin, one of Climate Tracker’s New Journalism Fellows.
Hola!
My name is Eileen Sosin, I’m writing from Havana. Let me tell you a tempestuous story:
Last week Pinar del Río and Artemisa provinces, and the Isle of Youth (West of the country), were impacted by Hurricane Delta, which was at category 4 when it passed by the South of Cuba, bringing coastal floods, and heavy winds. About 14 000 people were evacuated in houses of relatives or friends.
Delta hit the nearby Peninsula of Yucatan (Mexico) on Wednesday 7th, after Gamma storm did, on October 3rd. That’s two storms in less than five days!😱 No wonder the current Atlantic hurricane season was predicted to be very intense, and we have now had so many, that we have exhausted the list of storm names; which has only happened twice in the last seventy years, 2005 and 2020.
This satellite image, dated September 14th, clearly portrays the forecast. From left to right: hurricanes Sally and Paulette, the remains of tropical storm Rene, and tropical storms Teddy and Vicky.
Image: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
I couldn’t help notice the resemblance to The Starry Night, the painting by Vincent van Gogh. Beautiful, though scary.
If you’d like to read more about hurricanes in the region, take a look at this special edition of Postdata.club, a data-driven, Cuban independent media, which summarizes hurricanes that hit the island during the 21st century.
It’s been a big few months for us environmentally in Cuba. Last month, we submitted our national climate plan to the UNFCCC, with a 50% reduction goal for tough transport emissions by 2030, and hopes of raising $3.5 billion in international investment for renewable energy.
This week, new legislation about UNESCO geological heritage in Cuba was passed, with hopes that the splendid Valley of Viñales, in Pinar del Río province could become a protected area. There are currently 161 Geoparks around the world, but only eight are in Latin America.
However, with COVID-19, our import-dependant economy has been badly damaged by the reduction of trade, tourism and travel. Many workers have lost their jobs, spurring on economic deregulation for small businesses that has been pushed for since 2011.
Several small social businesses have emerged recently, such as Zaaz Bici-mensajería, a bicycle-based delivery service, which started to operate recently, as an alternative to public transportation restrictions during quarantine. Bambooleo also recently got off the ground, selling bamboo straws to local bars and restaurants.
Meme of the week
Before saying good-bye, I’d like to share with you this meme from Leinad Science,that made me think and laugh at the same time.
It reads: “Don’t be afraid of change. Except climate change. That indeed will kill us all” 😉
From Climate Tracker
Eileen wrote a great piece this week about how Cuba’s Urban vegetable gardens are helping transition the country through the economic crisis
In Nigeria, our Sustainable Energy Fellow, Oladiende Olawoyin wrote about why a promising biogas project failed the very market traders it was promising to empower
Finally, Rahma Diaa wrote about how hydroponic agriculture could offer a new hope for Egypt’s struggling farmers. But will the technology go far enough?
Coal in the News
The impacts of China’s carbon neutrality continue. Australian coal imports to China are reportedly blocked at the docks, and China’s Tsinghua University is already working on net zero scenarios based on contributions from 18 different think tanks.
Indigenous rice farmers in West Bengal have refused government hand-outs and look likely to have blocked a new coal mine, according to Gurvinder Singh in Thirdpole net.
Just across the border, Bangladesh looks like it has blocked all new coal projects. In a dramatic shift, the government has abandoned plans for 31 future coal plants, and will keep only those currently operating or under construction (5).
When we combine other big coal moves from Japanese firms Mitsui and Jeera, and the Faith Birol’s announcement that Solar was the new “king of electricity”, it has been a pretty devastating week for coal.
Yay
This is a Weekly newsletter created by Climate Tracker. If you have any questions, comments or want to get involved, email Chris at chris@climatetracker.org - that’s me. I’d love to hear from you...and don’t worry, I’m locked inside too.
And if you’ve been forwarded this email and liked what you saw, why not subscribe?