Praia, June 8, 2025 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde is analysing the effects of rising temperatures so it can adapt health facilities, in one of several studies linking climate action to the lives of the population, explained the person responsible for the area in an interview with Lusa.
"This will affect many people, especially those who are on the streets, such as farmers or “rabidantes” [street vendors] who wander around trying to sell their products: the increase in temperature will certainly affect health, because that is what is happening in other countries and it will happen here too," said Alexandre Nevsky Rodrigues, national secretary for Climate Action.
This example illustrates the connection between the issue and the population, highlighting why Cabo Verde's government has launched a Climate Portal on the Internet (portaldoclima.gov.cv), accompanied by social media information campaigns.
"Everyone should know what is being done" and have "a repository of key documents" in this area of governance, which is new and unknown to many people, he said.
"I could say a thousand things," he replied, when asked for examples of the impact that climate-conscious governance can have.
Promoting drip irrigation due to water shortages caused by droughts, delimiting areas where there is a risk of landslides in the event of torrential rains, all consists of "building resilience, ensuring that everyone, whether they are salespeople or farmers, is prepared for these new circumstances, a new normal."
In January, the World Bank warned that Cabo Verde must promote urgent measures to tackle climate change or risk seeing its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrink by 3.6% by 2050.
"We are working for development, we are not working because it is fashionable. It is necessary, we have no other way out," points out Alexandre Rodrigues.
According to him, the strengthening of climate action is reflected in the production of various strategies and plans, to be completed this year.
By August, the Strategic Plan for Climate Support Mobilisation should be ready, a tool that will serve as a roadmap for those seeking support (training, financing or technology transfer) and for those who want to make it available to Cabo Verde.
"Let's imagine that I want to implement a fishing project. This strategic plan will help me draw a line to reach those who finance or train this type of project, indicating which institutions or individuals have the technology," he said.
The document will "guide any institution," connecting all those involved in the sector, both in the country and abroad.
"The plan is under construction and will involve all entities, including the private sector. We already have a draft and we think that in about two months it can be submitted to the cabinet," he added.
What will change depends on how the tool is used: I can have a hoe at home, but if I don't go to the field to dig a hole and plant the seed, I will never have any fruit.
In September, a "citizens' and climate forum" is expected to be launched, where "civil society can meet, assess climate policies and contribute to their improvement."
The country also has two documents related to the Paris Agreement (2015) in the pipeline: the list of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the Biennial Transparency Report (BTR).
The two acronyms are part of the jargon that accompanies documents related to climate action policies or the Paris Agreement. The first indicates the country's commitments to prevent a 1.5-degree increase by 2100, while the second shows, every two years, how these commitments are being fulfilled.
"We are preparing our first transparency report," which should be completed in July and will help with the "budgetary allocation of climate project funding."
In other words, in the next State Budget, "every project that has some climate impact will be marked," even if at first glance it does not appear to be related to the issue.
Alexandre Rodrigues uses a new example: work on a fishing port may be part of another strategy, but if it includes the transition to solar panels, it contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in electricity production - and this component will be highlighted in Cabo Verde's efforts.
The energy transition - in which the government has set a target of 50% of the country's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030 - is an example of the commitment to halting the rise in temperature while avoiding pollution and contributing to health.
In 2020, Cabo Verde made "the first update of the NDC" and the next review will start "in September", seeking to define the targets for 2035.
The global outlook "is not very good" given rising temperatures, "but the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which brings together scientists from around the world, says there is still a window [of opportunity]" until 2030.
To those who are sceptical about the Paris Agreement, Alexandre Rodrigues points out that, if it were not for the efforts made since then, "we would already be well above three degrees" of global warming.
Cabo Verde has investments planned under the energy transition plan, partly financed by the climate fund, which was created from a debt swap agreement with Portugal.
Climate risks have also led to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) providing support, through the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), which has been preparing Cabo Verde to attract foreign investment and implement government reforms.
LFO/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
