Cuba’s Environmental Problems

When companion openism was introduced to Cuba, the idea was that it would be more eco-friendly than capitalism. Instead, the Revolution to quickly controllight-emitting diode both study factors that eventu every(prenominal)y led to environsal problems in developing countries population growth and p overty. Contri just nowing to the show up of poverty in Cuba argon the financial, economic and commercial blockades imposed by the United States. In order to preserve the environment in Cuba and conflict these issues, serious action was necessary.The descend of environmental damage falls into devil categories a) small-scale environmental destruction committed by individuals through smuggled hunting, de lumberation, dumping of waste into aquatic ecosystems, etc. or b) large-scale environmental destruction resultanting from major projects and industries clear by political sympathiesal agencies and owned by inter field of study companies, like hotel chains and mining companies afterward the particular(a) Period, and land before the Special Period. 1 The opportunity for Cuba to protect its environment came after the fall of the Soviet Union and the strengthening of the US blockade in 1990.This period, referred to as the Special Period (1990-2000), witnessed a decrease in umteen environmentally damaging activities both by choice and by necessity, detailedly likewise resulted in numerous closings to resuscitate the Cuban rescue. After the do of import Summit in 1992, following Fidel Castros speech weighing the condition of the environment on a global scale, Cuba designed and implemented a modification of programs, administrative structures, and public aw arness activities to promote sound environmental trouble and sustainable development.What is close to substantial is the damage that ahs already been dvirtuoso and the efforts to gust these conditions. Currently, there atomic number 18 numerous efforts to bring the Cuban environment to a s ustainable level. When the agent lovingist countries of Eastern Europe ended muckle and financial relationships with Cuba, the island was forced to make severe adjustments. The emergency measures implemented by the Cuban judicature aimed at close outing the total economic collapse of the regime, be carry been referred to by the leadership as the special period in peace period. This Special Period brought about the creation of the Ministry of Science,Technology and Environment (CITMA) in 1994 which provided an important impetus for environmental policy and commission on a earthal scale. 2 In 1995 the National Environmental St roamgy (EAN) was designed, but was not approved by the government until 1997. Since then the EAN is the guiding document of Cuban environmental policy, establishing the principles upon which the subject field environmental efforts argon based. 3 The schema identifies the master(prenominal) environmental issues in Cuba and proposes ideas and various methods to prevent, solve or minimize these problems.The strategy finishs atomic number 18 to change environmental protection and the enjoyment of inbred resources in an attempt to gibe sustainable social and economic development objectives. Evaluations of Cubas environmental record in comparison with Eastern European records shows that environmental worsening in Cuba over more than three decades of socialist rule responded to specific conditions not normally found in developing countries but were dedicate in the former Soviet Union and the former Eastern European socialist countries. 4 As a result of this, Kirwin Shaffer states that Consequently, central planning ignored local environmental concerns.Also, the absence of private self-com humansd and the lack of citizen input in decision making meant that all decisions affecting the local level were made with regard to how they fit with the overall national plan. Results and impacts at the local level were secondary. Which l eads to these conclusions Cuban awkward and industrial development following the Soviet models gull had uniform consequences for urine, soil and phone line authority pollution as found in Europe. 5 The accepted Cuban stance that attempts to blame the USSR for these effects in Cuba benefits Cubas policy-making system be excite it takes the blame away from the state, but it is not served by the historic record. The glorified greening of Cuba during the 1990s has beneficial impacts over the short term, but, check to Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez, economic costs and turns toward a development model based on tourism may soon erode those short-term gains.Cubas pollution and defilement problems argon widespread, and not completely the result of Soviet-style development projects. Yet, there is no doubt that many of the genuine environmental problems in Cuba result primarily from sovietization of the Cuban economy. vulgarism erosion and soil degradation argon the main problems in agriculture. These problems started primarily due to the in decenniumsification of mechanized agriculture and the use of petrochemical herbicides and pesticides. 6 agribusiness is just one of the many environmental issues the island faces.In damage of the land, the victimize ca employ by permanent civilises to these lands is primarily due to a lack of crop rotation causing soil depletion, poor agro-technical management and insufficient impressiveness measures. 7 In 1970 La zafra de los diez millones, took place, in which the Cuban government attempted to ruin all historic sugar production records by producing a ten million ton sugar harvest. 8 The government fell short of their goal by two tons, but by this point the damage was already done.Because crops take so much nutrients from the land, farmers alternate crops each year to forfeit the land to recover. During la zafra de los diez millones crops were not alternated which took a heavy toll on the land. In Cuba, poorly des igned and implemented agricultural development policies nurse been a major contributor to the degradation of the countrys soils Soil degradation continued a grounds with the agricultural practices that came to prevail in Cuba during the commencement ceremony half of the twentieth century as more and more double-dyed(a) islands were brought under sugarcane and livestock production.There is mounting evidence that the pace of soil deterioration intensified during the second half of the century, principally because of the widespread adoption of recent agricultural practices, particularly from the 1960s to the late 1980s. As in the Soviet Union and other socialist economies, the collectivization of the hobnailed sector was regarded as necessary for achieving the goals of a centrally planned call for economy. Collectivization would make possible economies of scale and bring the advantages of mechanization and modern scientific agriculture. 9After the collectivization of land agraria n reforms were implemented to sound reflection the land to the state and to its citizens. But this shift in land ownership could have major environmental implications, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union. After the Soviets left Cuba, Cuban farming suffered a shortage of trade agricultural goods leaving Cuban farmers to use traditional farming practices and about more modern techniques (such as rip irrigation) that be more environmentally friendly The post-Soviet agricultural model is less directent on trade agricultural practices that had been abandoned for their alleged backwardness the large-scale use of beasts of burden, increase reliance on organic fertilizers and biologic pest controls, the abandonment of borderline soils that had been brought under cultivation and made productive merely by the intensive use of agricultural inputs, and a shift of urban labor to the countryside. 10 fit to Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez, more important than this change in agricu ltural practices, is that transferring the control of lands to farmers who are closely tied it, and whose economic well-being impart depend on the stewardship of the natural resource base, there is the expectation that the trend of soil deterioration. may at least be slowed down. but it is too primal tell how successful the new agricultural policies pull up stakes be. 11 At this point, many of Cubas natural resources are in danger of extinction.Because Cuba has exported sugarcane as its main commodity, sugarcane has replaced natural flora and fauna. There was a time before 1959 when over 30 different kinds of bananas grew on the island, but nearly of the banana trees have been replaced by sugarcane. Cubas crops and animals have been affected by pests and di seases introduced from abroad coastal pollution and excessive hunting besides present severe threats to wildlife populations. 12 Water aquifers have been contaminated by pollutants (and saltwater on the coasts) and their lev els are declining due to nearly unrestricted use.Similarly, waterflows reaching the coasts are in addition highly contaminated, which everlastingly hurts coral reefs and breeding grounds. Dam and reservoir winding has hurt coastal lagoons and mangroves Cubas fresh water system (rivers/lakes/aquifers) has rattling serious problems. Under Castros policy of voluntad hidraulica, which called for not a sensation drop of fresh water to be lost to the ocean, the government has strengthened over 1,000 large and small dams throughout the entire island, covering 1. 4% of Cubas territory.Although the benefits to Cuban agriculture are clear in terms of increased irrigated land (close to 1 million hectares), the ecological effect has been quite a negative in terms of lowering the waters group O level and increasing salinity. Dams have to a fault blocked the dispersal of deposit and fresh water runoff over mangrove areas, contributing to a 30% average reduction of mangrove coverage and b iodiversity loss13 In fact, the embayments of Cuba are some of the most polluted in the world. Industrial, agricultural and human discharges into the sea, as well as deforestation for strip mining, have contributed to the pollution. 14 Water enjoyment to reservoirs is linked to the virtual destruction of the oyster bed and major settle in the fish catch in the Casilda coastal region of southern Santa Clara Province. 15 These factors, along with the excessive use of aquifer waters and wells used for sugar and citrus irrigation are contributing to the salinization of the water in Cuba.Extensive water logging of coastal aquifers has lead to salinization and soil erosion. It has been estimated in 1991 that 600,000 ha have light to modest salinization levels, while the remainder show high levels of salinization. 16 The main source of water pollution lies in the industrial facilities, warehouses, and workshops and service entities regain around the bay. Fifty-three industrial facilit ies are located in the agile proximity of the bay, and another 84 industries produce waste that indirectly discharges into the bay through tributary streams. 17 These industrial areas include the port and the nickel industries that increase to the contamination of the water supply. The port activity itself is also one of the major sources of contamination for the bay. It is estimated that the ships served in the port generate 150,000 tons of refuse per year. 18 disforestation is also a factor contributing to the poor state of Cubas environment. Forests have not suffered nearly as much as the land, with preservation efforts bringing Cubas forests back to their 1945 levels, but conservation of forests has not meant saving all woodlands. One of the main problems environmentalists have with deforestation in Cuba is the fact that many of the available estimates regarding how much of the original forest cover remained before the revolution are based on rough figures made by observers with no credible statistical information.According to Eudel Eduardo Cepero The ir demythologized use of forests has become commonalty practice under the Castro regime. As no current data are available on the actual total area of cover forest, the entertain of Cubas forest resources is unknown. Most of the remaining natural forests are in poor condition from being overexploited. An average of 200 forest fires kick the bucket each year, affecting some 5,000 hectares of forest. Reforestation has been precarious, due to poor prime(a) seeds, a low survival rate of plantings, and a narrow take to the woods of forest species utilized. 19 The National Environmental Strategy offers statistics to support Ceperos claims by offering statistical information, but not listing sources to verify its facts it also states that the forests in Cuba have grown over the last few age, but that there is still much work to be done with regards to astir(p) the forest cover in Cuba Although the forest c over has increased constantly in the recent years in the last 43 years increasing to a total coverage of 2, 696, 587. 9 hectares, bringing us to a forested index of 24. 54% in 2005 after-effects still stick around from years of irrational exploitation of Cuban forests which practically eradicated our most blue-chip woodland resources. Problems persist with the quality of most native forests as a consequence of prior mismanagement and exploitation particularly in the most important watersheds. Problems also exist in the nations seedbed sources, which do not meet productivity or quality expectations.In addition, a lack of updated forest management plans, insufficient silviculture of forested areas, and insufficiencies and deficiencies in management plans continue to present challenges20 The EAN suggests that more work be done to look into invasive plant species that re threatening the native plants. It says that the survival rate of tree plantations and the success rate of trees growing to full maturity have improved over the last few years, but that the numbers are still substantially low when compared to the anticipated numbers.Also, the range of forest species used in forestry activities has been inadequate. Also suffering from the effects of sovietization and the special period is the biological diversity of the island. A substantial, unquantified loss of biodiversity exists, due, among other reasons, to improper management of authentic ecosystems, the application of intensive farming, the marketing of endangered species, as well as conditions making it easy for important genetic resources to leave the country. 21 coral reefs, mangroves, the original forest (which used to cover most of the island) and rainforests are ecosystems that are suffering in Cuba. According to the EAN, the leading causes of this loss of biodiversity are 1 Changes, fragmentation, or destruction of habitat/ecosystems/landscapes due primarily to changes in land use and inadequat e practices employed in fishing, harvest, and agricultural soil preparation, among others.Overexploitation of resources, for fount fishing and forestry resources. 3 Degradation and contamination of soils, water, and the atmosphere. 4 Introduction of exotic invasive species that evoke or affect the functioning of ecosystems and native species. 5Insufficient regulatory and control mechanisms to prevent and punish illegal activities, including unlawful hunting and fishing, trade in endanger species and other natural resources. 6Climate change and the resulting intensification of dry periods, the incidence of torrential rains, temperature increase, sea level rise, in addition to the intensity and frequency of extreme natural disasters such as hurricanes. 7 Forest fires. 22The EAN lists the goals it wishes to achieve and the necessary steps that should be taken in order to achieve these goals. Among these goals are increasing the amount of forest coverage to 26. 7% of national territor y have one million hectares of forest maintained by the National System of beat and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management complete National Forestry Planning in 2007 reduce amount of lands affected by forest fires 69% of forest cover used as a buffer to protect coastal areas, soils, water and conservation forests management program for invasive plant species. 23 in the first-year place the Special Period much of the air pollution in Cuba was the result of its dependence on Soviet and Eastern European vehicles and factories that were contaminating the air Urban pollution, could be partly traced to Cubas extreme reliance on inefficient and highly contaminating Soviet and Eastern European-built vehicles and factories. In the agricultural sector, a practice that resulted in much environmental damage was the furtherance of Sovietstyle, large-scale state farm production model based on widespread mechanization, heavy chemical inputs (e. . , fertilizers and herbicides), and exten sive irrigation24 Air pollution in Cuba has increased significantly in the years since the Soviets left the island. The absence of moderateness measures for emissions, inadequate control measures on the levels of noise generated by different activities, rare information about the harmful effects on health and social behavior, the poor technical state of transport, and a lack of standards for emissions are also present. 25 There are few environmental reports available to the public that are based on analytical information that is collected systematically in the field and processed in laboratories. Cuban scientists state that The two main sources of sulfuric gases within the city limits are the old thermal power plants of Tallapiedra in the Old Havana neighborhood and the Antonio Maceo plant in Regla, crosswise the Bay of Havana. In both of these neighborhoods they recorded the highest level of environmental pollution, mensuration up to 7. milligrams of sulfides per square decimete r per day at the Tallapiedra Power do. Three secondary sources in the metallurgic, chemical and construction industries were also associated with air pollution, all of them located in the environs of Havana Bay. 26 The Ministry of Public Health, ameliorate endowed for this purpose than other branches of government, has produced or published few precise documents dealing with health conditions and environmental degradation.Sulfur oxides, undesirable residues of combustion that are produced mostly in power plants when sulfur-rich fuels are burned, create respiratory problems and cause acid rain. Cuba replaced part of the vanished Soviet fuel imports of the late 1980s with domestic help crude containing roughly six percent sulfur. It is used mostly in power plants and to run cement factories. 27 Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez point out that the means of window pane in Cuba are getting old and, due to poor forethought and inadequate resources to obtain parts, they are polluting and becoming harmful to the environment.Their conclusion is that As long as the economic crisis continues, Cuba will not be able to modernize its fleet of cars, trucks, and buses (other than for those few vehicles serving the tourist industry). 28 If the Cuban government would allow media to spread environmental education to the citizens of Cuba and to the rest of the world, not only would it help efforts within Cuba to protect and improve the environment but it would also help efforts to improve the environment on a global level. The strategy points out that Article 27 of the Constitution of the Republic saysThe state protects the nations environment and natural resources and recognizes their close relationship with sustainable economic and social development to make human life more rational and to ensure the survival, well being and security of present and prospective generations. It is the office of proper governmental agencies to apply this policy. It is the duty of the citizens t o contribute to the protection of the water, atmosphere, and the conservation of soil, wild flora and fauna and all the rich potential of nature. 29Since Cuba has stated a national sovereignty over its natural resources and is actively working to restore and protect them, the state must also exercise rights over the countrys environment and resources. Similarly, Cuba must develop a national tendency towards integrated natural resource management, commercial environmental management, and urban environmental management as fundamental traits of Cuban environmental management. 30 The current embargo the United States has placed on Cuba keeps the island from growing economically.Which means that , since the economy is not changing or being stimulated, the people of Cuba are suffering. Meaning, because man poor, urban people cannot afford daily necessities, they resort to alternate ways to get everyday goods even if it means depleting the natural resources. With the current government i n Cuba and the restrictions caused by the embargo, it is hard to think that the Cuban environment will improve much in the next decade or two but the National Environmental Strategy offers hope to the idea that Cubas environment will improve.The National Environment Strategy 2007-2010 is dedicated to alter the environmental conditions of Cuba and finding a way to meet sustainable social and economic development goals. The eradication of extreme poverty is an achievement root in the very foundations of the revolutionary process. Achieving this is essential to the pursuit of environmental sustainability, first and foremost because extreme poverty cannot coexist with a healthy environment. The theme to this challenge is one of the principal achievements that Cuba can effectively show to the world. 31 The future of environmental reforms in Cuba will be influenced by a grade of cultural, economic, social, and political factors. Ultimate success or failure, however, will likely depend more on thorough laws, money, human capital, public involvement in environmental decision making, use of incentive-based tools, and international support. Strong environmental laws are a necessary foundation for sustainable development, but success will only occur with the continuing political will to implement and execute them.