Havana flood

Cuba has become the latest country to enshrine the fight against climate change in its constitution — provoking a mixed response from the scientific community.

In late February voters approved a new constitution that included amendments directing Cuba to “promote the conservation of the environment and the fight against climate change, which threatens the survival of the human species”. The country joins ten other nations, including Ecuador and Tunisia, that mention “climate” or “climate change” in their constitutions.

Some researchers believe the additions are a positive sign of a growing worldwide impetus to combat extreme weather events. Cuba has already introduced aggressive policies to combat global warming, including a long-term plan to adapt to more destructive hurricanes, extreme droughts and sea level rise.

“It’s very exciting to see what Cuba is doing,” says Carl Bruch, an attorney at the Environmental Law Institute in Washington DC. “The fact that you’re seeing climate change in the highest law […]