Cuba adopts a new environmental law

Cuba has a new law on the system of natural resources and the environment, after the draft presented by the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Elba Rosa Pérez, was approved by the deputies of the National Assembly. The new regulatory framework replaces the Environmental Law of 1997.

Experts from various ministries were involved in drafting the law, including Energy and Mining, Agriculture, Food Industry, Transportation, Tourism, Labor and Social Security, Construction, and the National Institute of Water Resources, according to a report by Cuban news agency Prensa Latina (PL).

The new environmental law is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, according to a statement. It covers areas such as air quality, waste treatment and the assessment of consumption and production. Other chapters of the law deal with climate change, life in the oceans, and restoring and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. The law also regulates forest management and includes measures to combat desertification and soil degradation in order to halt biodiversity loss.

What's new is that the law also addresses renewable energy management, biodiversity, water, climate change and other cross-cutting issues to achieve sustainable development, PL writes. "All of these goals combine scientific and technological achievements with traditional local knowledge of the people to promote the direct participation of communities in the design, development and improvement of production systems, including environmental education."