Cape Verde is unanimously recognized as one of the countries most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change. To increase its resilience, the country is implementing a set of policies aimed at sustainable and climate-proof development.
The evidence associated with a climate emergency is growing. Although 2023 was a more or less generous year in terms of rainfall in our archipelago, it was the hottest year ever and we felt it here in Cape Verde in general, and in Praia in particular. For the first time since records began, November 2023 saw two days in a row with an average temperature above 2ºC compared to the period before the industrial revolution.
To cope with this reality, the country has been adopting a set of policies that both respond to what has been agreed with the international community and meet the needs of Cape Verdeans in the context of a changing climate.
An example of this is the implementation of the climate pillar of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development II (PEDS II), through the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the National Adaptation Plan, and the country is preparing the Law that establishes the Bases of Climate Policy – Climate Law, the Fourth National Communication and the First Biennial Update Report, relevant documents within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate. In addition, the country has taken the lead in defining the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, which will be relevant for discriminating the particular situation of Small Island Developing States as especially vulnerable in order to increase the mobilization of climate support.
Cape Verde is also an example for its innovation in exchanging public debt for climate investment, the launch of the Climate Portal and communication and awareness-raising actions, such as the Civic Week on Climate Action and the extraordinary session of the Children’s Parliament on Children’s Rights and Climate Action. In addition, the Strategic Climate Finance Mobilization Plan is being developed, which plays a crucial role in the national context by directing financial resources to projects and initiatives aimed at mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change, thus ensuring the country’s resilience to climate challenges.
In addition, the long-term vision for a prosperous and happy country with zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – the LT-LEDS – is also being drawn up, in line with what was defined in the Paris Agreement, the preparation of the Biennial Transparency Report with the design of the Transparency system and the application of climate budget markers already for the preparation of the State Budget for 2025 and the Strategic Plan for Mobilizing Financing for Climate Action, in addition to the work being started in the five pilot municipalities defined in the National Adaptation Plan, to increase local climate resilience.
This is why it is important to strengthen Climate Action, recognizing its emergency nature, requiring greater involvement of the private sector, academia and civil society, through a strengthened governance framework, which will be the power of greater integration of these actors in the definition and implementation of the policy at the level of the National Council for Climate Action, the rapid approval and operationalization of the Climate and Citizens’ Forum, along with the continued implementation of communication actions to increase climate literacy.
We believe that climate change is the main threat to sustainable development in Cape Verde. Its negative impacts are eroding our human efforts and monetary investments in favor of conserving ecosystems and increasing quality of life.
With civil society, the public and private sectors and academia more sensitized and aware of the actions they can take to be more resilient, we believe we will be on the path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as defined in the 2030 Agenda. For a resilient, happy and prosperous Cape Verde.
Author
Ethel Fernandes,
Diretora Nacional do Ambiente