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Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº.1, TD4

Thematic Dossier – From Colonial Rule to Nationhood:

Amílcar Cabral and the Birth of Lusophone Africa

October 2026

220

AMÍLCAR CABRAL AND THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF CLIMATE CHANGE: A

CONTRIBUTION TO RAISING AWARENESS

PEDRO ANDRADE MATOS

pedro.matos@us.edu.cv | matooscv@hotmail.com

He is a postdoctoral researcher specializing in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development.

He holds a PhD in International Relations and an MSc in Political Science. Matos serves as Professor

at the University of Santiago (Cabo Verde), where he is also Director of the Graduate Office and

Coordinator of the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies (CEPEA). His academic work focuses

on the intersections of environmental governance, sustainable development, international

cooperation, and public policy, contributing to scholarly and policy debates on contemporary global

challenges. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1949-4138

Abstract

This study recovers the intellectual legacy of Amílcar Cabral, an agronomist and leader of the

liberation struggle in Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde, situating his studies on erosion, soil

conservation, and climate (1945-1960) within the contemporary debate on climate change,

environmental justice, and political ecology. Starting from Cabral's concept of "soil-life-climate

balance", the work argues that Cabral, decades before its scientific recognition, discussed

fundamental issues of climate change, such as the distinction between natural and

anthropogenic erosion, climate coloniality, and the importance of local knowledge for ecological

adaptation. The study articulates Cabral's scientific trajectory with his critique of colonialism

and imperialism as structures that produce environmental degradation, analyses the principle

of unity and struggle as a foundation for a collective African response to the climate crisis, and

examines the relevance of his technical and political proposals for the specific case of Cabo

Verde, in light of recent data on soil erosion, water scarcity, and climate vulnerability in the

archipelago. It can be concluded that Cabral's thought offers a theoretical and practical

framework that remains underexplored in Cabo Verdean academia, one capable of engaging in

dialogue with contemporary authors on climate justice and decolonial ecological politics.

Keywords

Amílcar Cabral; Cabo Verde; climate change; climate justice; colonialism, political ecology; soil

conservation.

Resumo

Este estudo recupera o legado intelectual de Amílcar Cabral, engenheiro agrónomo e líder da

luta de libertação da Guiné-Bissau e de Cabo Verde, situando seus estudos sobre erosão,

conservação do solo e clima (1945-1960) no debate contemporâneo sobre mudanças

climáticas, justiça ambiental e ecologia política. Partindo do conceito de Cabral de "equilíbrio

solo-vida-clima", o trabalho argumenta que Cabral discutia, décadas antes de sua consolidação

científica, questões elementares das mudanças climáticas, como a distinção entre erosão

natural e antropogénica, a colonialidade climática e a importância dos saberes locais para a

adaptação ecológica. O artigo articula a trajetória científica de Cabral com sua crítica ao

colonialismo e ao imperialismo como estruturas produtoras de degradação ambiental, analisa o

princípio de unidade e luta como fundamento para uma resposta africana coletiva à crise

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD 4

Thematic Dossier – From Colonial Rule to Nationhood:

Amílcar Cabral and the Birth of Lusophone Africa

October 2026, pp. 220-241

Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change:

a Contribution to Raising Awareness

Pedro Andrade Matos

221

climática, e examina a atualidade de suas propostas técnicas e políticas para o caso específico

de Cabo Verde, à luz de dados recentes sobre erosão do solo, escassez hídrica e vulnerabilidade

climática no arquipélago. Conclui-se que o pensamento de Cabral oferece um arcabouço teórico

e prático ainda pouco explorado pela academia cabo-verdiana, capaz de dialogar com autores

contemporâneos da justiça climática e da política ecológica decolonial.

Palavras-chave

Amílcar Cabral; Cabo Verde; colonialismo; conservação do solo; ecologia política; justiça

climática; mudanças climáticas.

How to cite this article

Matos, Pedro Andrade (2026). Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change: a

Contribution to Raising Awareness. Janus.net, e-journal of international relations. Thematic Dossier

– Geopolitics of Anxiety: Ideology, Identity, and (Un)Bordering in Contemporary Europe and Asia,

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD4, October 2026, pp. 220-241. DOI https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-

7251.DT0726.10

Article submitted on 26 June 2026 and accepted on 19 August 2026.

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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD 4

Thematic Dossier – From Colonial Rule to Nationhood:

Amílcar Cabral and the Birth of Lusophone Africa

October 2026, pp. 220-241

Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change:

a Contribution to Raising Awareness

Pedro Andrade Matos

222

AMÍLCAR CABRAL AND THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF CLIMATE

CHANGE: A CONTRIBUTION TO RAISING AWARENESS

PEDRO ANDRADE MATOS

Introduction

Four months after the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment (1972), Amílcar

Cabral visited Sweden. From there, he sent his son, Raul, a postcard from Stockholm

(Image 1). In the message, he wrote that, as Stockholm was a beautiful city where people

enjoyed a good quality of life, with work and justice, he wished that one day, through

struggle, the people of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde would also achieve economic and

social development.

Image 1. Postcard sent by Amilcar Cabral from Stockholm

Source: Cabral et al., 2018

Conflict of Interests - The author declares no conflicts of interest.

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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD 4

Thematic Dossier – From Colonial Rule to Nationhood:

Amílcar Cabral and the Birth of Lusophone Africa

October 2026, pp. 220-241

Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change:

a Contribution to Raising Awareness

Pedro Andrade Matos

223

The Stockholm Conference sought to reconcile environmental protection and development

needs, which had previously been seen as contradictory, between developed countries,

which began to advocate for environmental protection, and developing countries, which

sought to use their natural resources to promote economic development.

However, the impact of human actions on the environment became evident, and it was

necessary to recognize that economic and social progress needed to consider the limits of

nature and its preservation. Although the Conference did not reach an agreement,

discussions began on ecological awareness and sustainable development.

These discussions were not new to African countries and societies, which have always

regarded nature as a space for the fulfilment of humankind in its spiritual and cultural

dimensions, far beyond the material dimension, which remains the concern of Western

societies (Leff, 2001; Vambe & Zegeye, 2008)

Amílcar Cabral was an African who consciously thought and acted strategically to enhance

the quality of life of African peoples, working on multiple fronts (Ferrão, 1988; Neves,

2017; el Nabolsy, 2020). Despite this, his involvement with the independence struggles of

Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde, as well as other political commitments, forced him to

dedicate himself more to political issues and reduce his scientific activity as an agricultural

engineer and researcher of the environmental problems that afflicted Portuguese colonies

in the first half of the 20th century.

Between 1945 and 1960, Cabral developed remarkable theoretical and practical studies,

as well as recommendations on erosion, soil conservation, climatology, and agricultural

systems in Cabo Verde, Portugal (Alentejo), Guinea-Bissau, and Angola. These works,

published in academic journals and scientific reports, reveal a thinker who articulated, in

original and rigorous parameters, technical knowledge, social analyses, and long-term

concerns regarding the relationship between humans and nature.

Regarding the title of this paper, although Amílcar Cabral did not directly address climate

change as we understand it today, his agrarian studies of erosion provide insights into

processes now associated with climate dynamics. Based on his observations of the soil-life-

climate balance, his analysis of erosion as a phenomenon accelerated by human activity, his

study of droughts in Cabo Verde, and his advocacy for integrated conservation planning,

Cabral anticipated debates and proposals that would only become relevant in environmental

science decades later.

This article guides the following research question: To what extent can Amílcar Cabral’s

agronomic and political thought contribute to contemporary debates on climate change

issues, particularly in the context of Cabo Verde?

The study adopts a qualitative and interdisciplinary approach that relies on documentary and

bibliographic research methods. It analyses Cabral’s agronomic writings on soil conservation,

erosion, climate, and agriculture, as well as his political texts on colonialism, liberation, and

African unity, placing them in dialogue with contemporary literature on political ecology,

climate justice, decolonial environmental thought, and climate coloniality.

The following sections analyse Cabral's agronomic trajectory, his systemic vision of nature,

the relationship he establishes between colonialism and environmental degradation, the

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD 4

Thematic Dossier – From Colonial Rule to Nationhood:

Amílcar Cabral and the Birth of Lusophone Africa

October 2026, pp. 220-241

Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change:

a Contribution to Raising Awareness

Pedro Andrade Matos

224

case of Cabo Verde, the need for African unity in the face of the climate crisis, and finally,

the relevance of his thought to contemporary political ecology, especially in the context of

Cabo Verde.

Cabral's Agronomic Trajectory

Cabral was born on September 12, 1924, in Bafatá, Guinea-Bissau. He spent his youth in

Cabo Verde, where he dedicated himself to primary and secondary studies and met a reality

that would shape his academic decisions and search for solutions to transform reality.

He graduated in Agronomic Engineering from the Higher Institute of Agronomy of the

Technical University of Lisbon in 1952, with a thesis on soil erosion in the Alentejo,

specifically in the region of Cuba. During his studies, he specialised in Pedology and Soil

Conservation, areas of scientific development at the time, particularly in the United States,

with the work of Hugh Hammond Bennett (1881–1960), considered a pioneer in soil

conservation, who highlighted that erosion affects not just small farmers, but the entire

economy.

The choice to study agronomy was made in a context marked by food crises, famine,

recurring droughts, and profound economic difficulties affecting the Cabo Verde Islands,

besides the impact of colonialism on the living conditions of Africans.

Cabral witnessed the droughts that plagued the archipelago, especially the famine of the

1940s. At that time, he was approximately 17 years old and already had a clear

understanding of the severity of drought, their consequences, and their natural and

unnatural causes. In addition to this personal experience, the Cabo Verdeans have

historical memories of even more dramatic periods, such as the famines of 1773–1776 and

the crisis of 1831–1833, which caused approximately 30,000 deaths in the archipelago

(Lopes, 2021).

Young Cabral also discovered interesting sources at home to raise awareness of the land

and insularity. His father, Juvenal Cabral, wrote about droughts, famine, and rain. In a

short text about rain, Juvenal writes: "Drought, the habitual cause of our torments;

drought, age-old enemy of our progress; drought, cruel generator of black famine, under

whose gloomy auspices the poor die, the rich become impoverished, the cattle wither, and

the trees dry up" (Juvenal Cabral, 1949).

Cabral, as a son, shared the experience in the poem "The Island" (1945), layering

ecological sensitivity that evokes the natural fragilities of the Cabo Verde islands: "sleeping

mother / naked and forgotten, /dry, /lashed by the winds". In this passage, Cabral exposes

the archipelago's natural vulnerabilities, which become recurrent in the literature and

music of the archipelago.

In the poem "Return," there is a hope fed by the rain, which solidifies as an extraordinary

event that transforms the lands and the state of mind of the people, revealing, through

the verse "the whole island / in a few days has already become a garden," how semi-arid

ecosystems, after long periods of drought, spring to life (Cabral, 1990). The poet speaks

of a Cabo Verde that, with the arrival of the rain, transforms into a fertile and prosperous

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field, revealing a window of opportunity that the countryman must seize with care to sow,

tend, harvest, and store.

In this context, choosing agronomy meant pursuing a scientific understanding of the soil

conditions, agricultural production, and the survival of populations in a territory heavily

influenced by environmental and structural factors. However, in another territory, such as

Guinea-Bissau, which had abundant water, the colonial policy of imposing cultural practices

for export added another layer to the condition of the colonies as spaces serving the

interests of the colonizers.

Cabral was not convinced by natural causes alone (Neves, 2017; el Nabolsy, 2020),

because Cabo Verde was not (is not) the only place in the world with these vulnerabilities.

However, he questioned why people lived in such extremes: when the rain came, they lost

agricultural products, and when drought arrived, they had not even a grain of corn left to

feed the poor, even though Guinea-Bissau served as a breadbasket that met Portugal's

needs. Therefore, deliberate political (in)action determined the life and death of the people.

He also witnessed the dramatic consequences of the assistance disaster, which occurred

on February 20, 1949, in Praia, Cabo Verde. After a long period of drought, hundreds of

people were awaiting a hot meal and donations. The collapse of a wall caused the death of

232 people, an episode that reflected the extreme social vulnerability of the population, a

result of the economic and political conditions imposed on the archipelago by Portugal

(Lopes, 2021), which earned severe internal and international criticism, as people viewed

it as the face of a colonial system that used hunger as an instrument of war.

Between 1952 and 1954, Cabral worked as an agronomist in Portuguese Guinea, where he

conducted extensive field surveys to study cropping systems, local agricultural practices,

and erosion problems. In Lisbon, he worked on soil studies for Angola and researched the

storage of agricultural products until 1960. That year, he dedicated himself entirely to the

political struggle for the liberation and independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.

According to José Eduardo Ferrão (1988), Cabral's scientific activity encompasses two

complementary dimensions: one eminently technical, linked to agronomic work, the study

of soils and scientific knowledge applied to the territory; and another, deeply human,

marked by an ethical and political concern for the social utility of his work. Cabral

understood that engineers, especially Africans, should not limit their role to producing

technical knowledge; they should also commit to contributing to the valorization of the

"Afro-Negro" and ensure that the wealth generated by natural resources benefits Africa

(Ferrão, 1988, p. 21).

Cabral's scientific work was also characterized by the rigorous use of systematic research

methods, employing tools such as demographic statistics, mathematical formulations, field

surveys, and the comparative method to analyze diverse agricultural and environmental

realities. He adopted a critical stance towards the mere transposition of agricultural models

developed in other regions of the world, arguing for the need to carefully analyze African

agroclimatic conditions due to their ecological, social, and historical specificities.

However, the agricultural census conducted in Guinea-Bissau (1952–1955) allowed him to

develop political awareness, as he studied natural resources, soils, crops, and local

agricultural practices in detail (Ferrão, 1988; Neves, 2017). Therefore, Cabral argued that

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Thematic Dossier – From Colonial Rule to Nationhood:

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October 2026, pp. 220-241

Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change:

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the research should not be a technical or statistical exercise alone but should also have a

clear social purpose, aimed at improving the living conditions of the population. For the

young researcher, “a census, if it does not aim at improving the living conditions of the

people to whom it refers, is not only a useless task; it is a harmful undertaking” (Silva,

1988; Ferrão, 1988, p. 24).

Through this work, Cabral understood the material structures of peasant life, the

relationships between soil, climate, and modes of production, especially the agroecological

systems of Guinea-Bissau, and the awareness necessary for political transformation

(Neves, 2017). These structures, to which Cabral referred, relate to colonialism and

imperialism, as well as their consequences in several areas, including the environment.

Therefore, the next task is to grasp the system that caused the environmental crisis.

Colonialism, Imperialism and Environmental Degradation

These three concepts interconnect: colonialism as a political structure dehumanized

Africans and created the basis for imperialism to plunder African resources to meet the

needs of European metropolises. Therefore, it caused environmental degradation that

exacerbated the destruction of traditional land management systems and impoverished

the quality of life for Africans.

To understand Cabral's environmental thinking, it is necessary to situate it within the

broader context that propelled him towards critical awareness. As the son of two countries

subjected to Portuguese colonialism, he was acutely aware of the consequences of

colonization not only in the political and economic spheres, but also in the environmental

aspect, because it destroyed a harmonious way of life and an African worldview of the

natural environment shaped by work and culture. In this sense, colonization represented

a violent rupture of this relationship and the imposition of a model that completely ignored

the African as both a subject and sovereign in their relations with the surrounding

environment (Neves, 2017; el Nabolsy, 2020).

Cabral emphasized that colonization and imperialism were deeply interconnected, insofar

as "imperialism is piracy transplanted from the seas to dry land, reorganized, consolidated

and adapted to the objective of plundering the material and human resources of our

peoples" (Cabral, 1965, p. 78). The colonial system constituted a global structure of

economic, social, and political domination aimed at the systematic exploitation of colonized

territories, which materialized in the land, agriculture, and living conditions of the peasants

(Maddox, 2006; Uzoigwe, 2010; el Nabolsy, 2020)

This materialization places the responsibility for the greatest socio-environmental disasters

in modern history on colonialism. More than a political system of domination, it implied

profound transformations in territories, economies, and relationships between human

societies and nature. The intensive exploitation of natural resources, driven by external

interests, produced lasting forms of environmental degradation and social inequality.

The culmination of this destructive process occurred within the framework of the Berlin

Conference (1884-85), whose stated aim was "to occupy in depth, colonize Africa and

extract from its soil and subsoil all the energy sources sufficient and necessary for the

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Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change:

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Pedro Andrade Matos

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European machine" (Tenreiro, 1946, p. 159; Uzoigwe, 2010). The specialized literature

looks at the political impacts of Africa's partition. However, we should also consider its

effects on environmental disasters. These disasters harmed the African population, ruined

economies, and increased poverty (Maddox, 2006)

In this regard, Cabral framed colonialism as economic domination of nature, which employs

“political domination” by extending “the forces of the imperialist or colonial state into the

land it wants to dominate economically” (Cabral, 1969, p. 33). For Cabral, in colonialism

and neocolonialism, the essential characteristic of imperialism remains: the denial of the

historical process of the dominated people through the violent usurpation of freedom in

the development of national productive forces.

Agriculture was the area that suffered the most from the dual process of destruction and

replacement and, obviously, did not align with the Schumpeterian logic of 'creative

destruction', since innovation mattered less and the reconfiguration of a system to serve only

the capitalist interests of the colonising countries mattered more.

Cabral criticized the system of monocultures and intensive agriculture imposed by

Portuguese colonization in African territories, arguing that it represented a danger by

generating a situation of economic dependence focused on exports to Europe, which

replaced family farming while the local population remained in poverty (el Nabolsy, 2020;

Maurice Taonezvi, 2008; Taques et al., 2023). As he wrote:

Colonialism introduced a new production system to Africa, in which it applied,

or attempted to apply, European agricultural practices to the itinerant system,

without considering the differences in environmental conditions, based on a

presumed logic of superiority of practices, resulting in the devastation of

African lands (Cabral, 1954, p. 413).

This agricultural transformation and the introduction of exotic species generated

sociological vulnerabilities and altered local food systems and agrobiodiversity (Havik et

al., 2018). Thus, in their analysis, famine emerges as a socially produced phenomenon,

resulting from the (dis)articulation between environmental factors and the Portuguese

government's political decisions.

Therefore, historical legacies of colonialism and imperialism connect climate change to

global patterns of economic exploitation and shape the scientific frameworks through which

people study and interpret climate, denying rich countries historical responsibility for

climate imbalance (Mercer & Simpson, 2023).

Vulnerability to climate change is structured by imperialist social relations, perpetuating

what some authors call "climate coloniality" (Sultana, 2022) by reinforcing economic,

social, and racial inequalities stemming from colonization.

DeBoom (2022) defines climate coloniality as “atmospheric violence” that determines who

deserves to live and who can be sacrificed, leading to the dehumanization of colonized

peoples and revealing that the history of environmental destruction is a historical process,

with those affected continuing to be the victims of colonization.

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Thematic Dossier – From Colonial Rule to Nationhood:

Amílcar Cabral and the Birth of Lusophone Africa

October 2026, pp. 220-241

Amílcar Cabral and the Political Ecology of Climate Change:

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Pedro Andrade Matos

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Scientific evidence shows that the average temperature of the Earth has been on a

continuous rise since around 1850, with particularly high levels observed at the end of the

20th century. Due to anthropogenic activities, global temperature has increased from

+0.66 to +1.00 °C relative to the pre-industrial baseline, and sea level has risen from

+0.15 to +0.25 m (IPCC, 2021, p. 45). This process is closely tied to the Industrial

Revolution, during which the expansion of machinery and industrial production intensified

the use of fossil fuels, thereby linking it directly to colonial accumulation and the current

climate crisis.

As early as the 1970s, systematic analyses pointed to the influence of human activities on

the warming of the climate system (IPCC, 2021). Even after the scientific confirmation of

the problem in the 1960s–1970s, political inaction prevailed due to the economic interests

of industrialized countries (Weart, 2008).

Cabral was assassinated in January 1973, leaving a huge void at a time when the limits of

economic growth on a finite planet were being discussed, and the first investigations that

raised concerns about the global climate were emerging, demanding a series of ideas and

proposals on how humankind could relate to the environment. Despite his premature

death, his agronomic studies and principles of struggle still help us understand and tackle

the climate crisis.

The Soil-Life-Climate Balance and Land Conservation

One of the central concepts in Cabral's agronomic thought is the "soil-life-climate balance,"

which provides a systemic understanding of nature. According to Cabral, human

exploitation of land profoundly alters the natural conditions of the complex soil-life-climate

dynamic. Environmental degradation is not just the result of isolated actions but is part of

the economic structure of society, which transforms nature to satisfy specific human

interests, frequently harming ecological balance. From this concept, Cabral addresses the

great dilemma between food and demographic development, warning that when this

dilemma is not addressed on an equal basis but is subordinated to particular interests,

collective interests are compromised, thereby jeopardizing both socioeconomic and natural

systems (Silva, 1988).

Important thinkers, such as the Brazilian geographer Milton Santos (2006) and the Mexican

economist Enrique Leff (2001), reinforce this perspective by pointing out that the concern

is not with the preservation of nature, but with a particular social order, whose economic

rationality prioritizes profit to the detriment of common goods and the environment.

In Cabral's analysis, soil is not inert; rather, it maintains a living relationship with human

social structures (César, 2023). Therefore, the destruction of the soil translates into the

destruction of humankind, as it weakens the natural conditions essential for humankind's

survival. This interpretation updates to account for the fact that the weakening of a natural

ecosystem also entails weakening human rights (Gibson et al., 2005).

In this equation, climate is one of the central factors conditioning the development of plants

that feed people. The essence of agriculture rests on the triad of land-plant-climate, in

which "man begins to create his own food." Cabral emphasized that climate contributes to

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soil formation and fertility, but it can also function as its destroyer by influencing

degradation and erosion processes that directly affect the land's productive capacity.

Despite little attention has been paid to the care of climate and nature itself. Even

subsequent discussions on sustainable development, starting with the Brundtland Report

(1987), have focused more on satisfying human needs than on nature itself, or, at most,

on preserving nature to meet material interests.

However, Cabral was already working with an advanced definition of conservation that

parallels the concept of sustainable development. For him, "classifying soils, from the point

of view of conservation, is to order them into different groups, relative to their possibilities

of use, without destruction" (Cabral, 1954a).

This definition links use and conservation, recognizing that soil protection cannot be

separated from the subsistence needs of populations, a current perspective known as

sustainable development or green economy. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC, 2021) recognizes that soil degradation is both a product and an amplifier

of climate change, releasing sequestered carbon into the atmosphere and reducing water

retention capacity.

Therefore, Cabral's compliment lies in his inversion of logic: instead of worrying about

material needs, human beings should first take care of the source that raises all the vital

energies they need, and food would come as a natural process, not artificially induced.

This includes understanding the soil as a "natural, independent, historical, and dynamic

body" and vegetation as an essential factor for climate balance. Cabral (1954a) perceived

that environmental degradation was not simply a technical problem but a matter of

disrupting complex balances involving interactions among soil, climate, vegetation, and

human actions.

Cabral (1954a) defends the role of natural vegetation in maintaining this balance. From

this systemic perspective, Cabral formulates an ethics of the human-land relationship that

holds significant relevance to contemporary climate governance. He argues that the

naturally asymmetrical human-soil relationship, insofar as the land sustains humankind

while humankind destroys it, must become symmetrical for humankind's own subsistence.

He notes that human actions, whether collective or individual, need to be controlled for

their own benefit (Silva, 1988, p. 25). With this awareness, Cabral was able to distinguish

between natural erosion and erosion accelerated by anthropogenic actions:

This type of erosion, which occurs slowly and gradually within the soil-life-

climate balance, which is integrated into the development process and does

not harm it, is called normal or natural erosion. Under natural conditions, soil

losses are generally limited to those caused by normal erosion. The ideal of

conservation is to ensure that these losses are not significantly exceeded,

despite alterations to natural conditions resulting from land exploitation

(Cabral, 1954a, p. 165).

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Cabral clearly identified accelerated erosion as a result of human activity.

It is precisely the exploitation of the land by man that alters the natural

conditions in which the dynamic balance of soil-life-climate has been realized.

The exploitation of the land by man requires his interference in this balance.

Human needs, such as food, fuel, shelter, and livestock farming, require the

destruction of the natural vegetation that covers the soil (Cabral, 1954a, p.

166).

This typology provides interesting insights for contemporary climate thinking because it

allows us to identify where human action is altering systems that, on their own, would

maintain a dynamic equilibrium. Thus, Cabral proposes a conservation approach that goes

far beyond isolated technical measures and integrates planning that articulates scientific

knowledge, local characteristics, and social dimensions.

Cabral notes that every region has limits based on its climate and soil. Planning should

take these limits into account. In his analysis of the climate of Black Africa, he highlighted

specific characteristics such as "high and nearly continuous temperatures, high

atmospheric humidity, and abundant rainfall" (Cabral, 1954b), the intense combination of

which contributes to soil degradation.

According to Cabral (1954b), the evolution of agriculture in Black Africa should address

fundamental issues: a) the need to utilize all the resources of Black Africa, which will

require the progressive transformation of nature; b) the need to apply the wealth derived

from these resources to Black Africa itself; c) the need to establish an agrarian structure

that prevents disorderly and greedy exploitation of the land; d) the need to provide Black

people with access to all means of defence against the adversity of the climate; e) the

need to foster the cultural development of Afro-Black people; and f) the need to select and

utilize everything useful in Afro-Black farming systems, as well as what, from European

techniques, is relevant to Black Africa (Cabral, 1954b, pp. 414–415).

To address poverty and soil fragility in Black Africa, Cabral proposed a system that

reconciled agricultural practices without soil destruction, incorporated new techniques

through regular updates, and supported the collective use of land, ensuring that the

community shared in the benefits. This vision reflects the understanding that individual

land ownership became synonymous with wealth, economic, and, consequently, political

dominance, which is why the structure of property was inseparable from environmental

issues.

Ayompe and Epie (2025) document that sub-Saharan Africa today faces precisely the

vulnerabilities that Cabral identified as structurally produced, especially the fact that 60%

of the population depends on climate-sensitive sectors, having faced a 20% reduction in

crop yields, including maize and sorghum. As a result, it is not only the agricultural sector

that is affected; it also shines through in other sensitive sectors, such as education and

health, increasing the vulnerability of families, revealing that agriculture is a vital sector

for considering issues such as food sovereignty and economic empowerment that allow for

increased responsiveness, and nature-based solutions.

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Unity and the Fight Against Climate Change

Another concept necessary for resolving climate issues is the principle of unity and

struggle, shaped in Cabral's thought as a force to end colonial domination in African lands.

In the important document "General Slogans of Our Party" (1965), Cabral defined unity as

a dynamic concept that allows for the preservation of everyone´s personality while working

together towards a concrete objective. In this vein, unity is an act, a necessary condition

for things to happen. The clarity of unity becomes useful when applied to the reality of

people facing a problem. If, in the colonial era, Cabral was referring to colonialism, it

becomes interesting to understand, within this process of coloniality, the current struggle

against climate change.

The need for struggle, as advocated by Cabral and transformed into a force capable of ending

colonial domination, remains alive insofar as "the more united we are, the more we will live

up to what everyone knows and what it is: unity is strength" (Cabral, 1965, p. 5).

Cabral defines struggle under the normal condition of all beings in the world. Because the

colonialists occupied the land and exerted a force that defined the destiny of Africans,

sowing war between tribes and leading to violence and destruction, the logic prevails: if

there is a force that exerts pressure, there is also one that reacts, which Cabral considers

resistance to colonial force (1965, p. 8). In short, Cabral argues that unity and struggle

complement each other. Unity is necessary, but to achieve unity, one must also fight.

Cabral's unity and struggle mobilize a meaningful argument for continental solidarity, insofar

as awareness must transcend the logic that a benefit for one country should correspond to a

benefit for other African countries. Fighting only for national interests reinforces Africa's

historical weakness of divide and conquer.

For Cabral, the struggle relies on understanding the concrete reality of the land, which is

embedded in a more complex reality: "we are part of a concrete reality that is Africa,

fighting against imperialism, against racism, against colonialism" (Cabral, 1965, p. 25).

Failure to understand these interconnections can result in errors with high costs for African

countries. This is meaningful because an environmental problem is never only an

environmental problem, but results from economic, sociological, and political decisions (Le

Prestre, 2000).

The environmental degradation described by Cabral in African territories is part of a global

structure of exploitation that, as he demonstrated, crosses the borders of colonies and

independent states. The response to this structure also required a supranational

dimension: African unity. As this strategy was applied to the national liberation struggle,

which proved to be the only way to defeat the colonial powers aided by imperialist powers,

the activation of this strategy is necessary because Africa loses when its countries act alone

and in a disorganized manner, and its countries win when they act together and fight for

climate justice.

From this perspective, the climate struggle occupies a place similar to that of the anti-

colonial struggle, constituting a condition for humanity to continue to exist and, only then,

to coexist. The reinterpretation of the notion of "people" in a political and climate context

suggests an awareness that the "people" should be included as those committed to

guaranteeing the conditions of existence and, by implication, to preserving present and

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future life. Those who deny or sabotage these conditions, like climate change deniers or

those blocking necessary actions, should be excluded from this political view.

Cabral argued that the end of colonialism was a historical necessity because the former

system denied the existence of colonized peoples. Hence his central idea: "to coexist, one

must first exist." In short, there can be no dialogue, democracy, or coexistence when a

group is deprived of the minimum conditions for life (Busk, 2025). Today, it is not only

colonialism that threatens existence but also its consequences, which have become as

lethal as the colonial system. Therefore, the climate crisis has continued the colonial project

of reducing the quality of life and causing death for people who continue to face exploitation

and suffer from the harmful effects of this process.

The idea of resistance is remarkable because it is an asset that can only be activated by

the oppressed and vulnerable people, both to save their own lives and the lives of their

enemies and to combat the banalization of life. This asset also highlights a person's desire

to live on their land, their way, in harmony with nature. That benefits everyone.

For Cabral, the fight against hunger and drought would become an integral part of the

national liberation project, understood not only as formal independence but also as the

capacity to manage natural resources, produce food, and guarantee human dignity.

Agriculture, as a dimension of economic resistance, emerged as a weapon that

strengthened independence and a path to freedom. Cabral (1969) sums up the issue by

saying, “A people who can't produce their own food can't have anything else in life”.

Political sovereignty would go hand in hand with food sovereignty; this is fundamental, as

hunger continues to be an instrument of the subjugation of African peoples to the powers

and interests of the small elite, in collusion with global elites, who condition the immediate

resolution of hunger on popular support for the obscure interests of these elites. In this

sense, uniting to produce and manage their own food reduces dependence and places the

survival of Africans under the management of the continent's wealth through serious

institutions committed to food sovereignty at the continental level.

A united Africa in key international climate negotiations will enhance outcomes and defend

its interests on this issue. Although Africa's role in international climate negotiations has

evolved significantly, moving from marginalization without a unified position to gradual

involvement in climate dialogues (Ngono & Noa, 2022), these efforts have not reached

their full potential, especially in relation to historical reparations for the impacts of

colonialism and the consequences of climate change for major greenhouse gas emitters.

Climate finance needs for Africa are estimated at around US$1.4 trillion over the current

decade, equivalent to approximately US$140 billion per year to meet adaptation and

resilience requirements. Nonetheless, actual flows have remained far short of this level,

averaging around $35 billion annually, less than 25% of the estimated needs (Dryden &

Volz, 2025).

However, the outcomes Africa could achieve through negotiations would not rely on the

argument of vulnerability, even though African political leaders have shaped their discourse

in that direction. Recalling Cabral's observations is necessary since climate improvement

would not only benefit Africans. Cabral's discourse always emphasized placing African

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interests at an important level within the context of humanity's interests in general (Cabral,

1979). In this logic, defending African interests is defending those of humanity.

The climate crisis, in this sense, provides fertile ground for articulating African unity around

an agenda that is both particular, due to the disproportionate impacts on the continent,

and universal, due to the global nature of the threat, as well as Africa's own contributions

through nature-based technologies and solutions, along with African practices and

worldview.

What Cabral identified as structural injustice rooted in colonialism is consolidating as

climate injustice (Táíwò, 2022). This reflection is not simply about knowing who emits more

CO₂; it focuses on understanding who has been historically deprived of the capacity to

adapt, innovate, and make decisions regarding the use of their territories. This casts a

critique on the effectiveness of the political sovereignty of countries in the Global South,

as decisions on African issues still occur from the perspective of emitting countries, the

former colonizing nations.

The historical patterns of inequality produced by colonialism and pointed out by Amílcar

Cabral are currently reproduced in global climate relations, in which the most polluted

states, by refusing to fulfil their responsibilities, exacerbate the vulnerability of poor

countries that are not responsible for the climate crisis (Ogunbode, 2022).

The goal of resistance, according to Cabral (1969, p. 9), is "to break with the colonial State

in our land to create a new, different State, based on justice, work, and equal opportunities

for all the children of our land." This horizon of building something new, not destroying the

old, is also essential for thinking about responses to the climate crisis: it is not enough to

denounce injustices; it is necessary to build alternatives based on justice, redistribution,

and sovereignty over natural resources.

Cabral's economic resistance implies the creation of autonomous "productive forces" based

on local knowledge and the population's work capacity. This perspective anticipates

contemporary discussions on "just transition" and low-carbon economies centered on local

communities, contrasting with technocratic market solutions that perpetuate structural

dependencies. Larry Busk (2025, p. 72), anchored in Cabral's argument, questions

whether, if we accept that colonialism is intrinsically anti-democratic and must be

combated, why we should not apply the same perspective to other forms of domination,

such as capitalism, which sustains the energy model responsible for the climate crisis. The

answer leads to unease regarding the fact that capitalism has become entrenched in all

regions of the world, and that the current lifestyle depends on the capitalist system, which

generates only external criticism, and not the adoption of an economic model that can

replace it effectively.

Local Knowledge and Nature-Based Solutions

Cabral's final and fundamental contribution to contemporary environmental thought is the

valorization of local knowledge and interdisciplinary practice. In his studies on Guinea-

Bissau, he combined pedological analysis with an understanding of traditional cultural

systems and social relations of production, aiming to interpret the collected elements and

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perceive the human element behind them, accurately evaluating the productive systems

and the relationships among the various stakeholders. This gave him a deep understanding

of the social reality of the territory where he lived, a knowledge that the stereotypical

reports of colonial society failed to capture.

This approach is useful for contemporary responses to climate change, as it highlights the

importance of traditional and Indigenous knowledge for understanding local ecosystems

and developing adaptation strategies. Cabral recognized that local farmers possess

essential knowledge about soil and water management. What later became established as

nature-based solutions to combat climate change had already been understood by Cabral

when he systematized the knowledge of Guinean rural populations on soil management,

crop cycles, and water conservation while working at the Pessubé Agricultural Post (1953–

1954).

Cabral's suggestions for improving the agricultural sector included seed selection according

to soil type, crop-livestock intercropping, integrating agriculture with livestock farming,

and improving agricultural techniques. The agroecological practices of crop diversification,

maintenance of vegetation cover, and sustainable soil management, advocated by Cabral,

are considered more effective strategies for climate adaptation (Ayompe and Epie, 2025).

According to Cabral, the man who is unaware of the conditions under which the complex

soil-life-climate system operates destroys the earth, the foundation upon which the

structure of human societies rests. The educational process activates this awareness by

promoting critical thinking, interdisciplinary approaches, and behavioural changes

necessary for climate resilience (Silva & Guimarães, 2018).

One of the widely advocated solutions to address climate change is environmental

education, which should be mandatory in the curricula of all levels of education, especially

in vulnerable countries.

In 2021, UNESCO conducted important work to investigate how African countries

integrated environmental issues into their curricula, noting that climate change was

integrated into teacher training curricula in 28 countries at the primary level and 35

countries at the secondary level. Among the countries cited as examples is Seychelles, an

African state, where the approach is mandatory (UNESCO, 2021).

We should not see African traditions as a proposal to return to an idealized past, but as

the development of a scientific and popular culture in which science serves an education

that liberates. Cabral's idea of "returning to the source" allows us to understand the path

that humanity must take to reverse the climate crisis, which requires the revaluation of

popular culture and knowledge (Vambe & Zegeye, 2008).

However, the financing logic of adaptation plans and climate mitigation measures by the

main funders in the Global North leaves little room for manoeuvre for countries in the

Global South. David Harvey (2003) demonstrates how the credit system functions as a

"hook" mechanism, inducing economically vulnerable countries into debt to finance

infrastructure that primarily supports resource export rather than local development.

It is important to understand that climate adaptation depends much more on local

indigenous knowledge systems than on the importation of external technologies and

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solutions, although this is not in the interest of the main funders, who aim to profit from

climate issues. In this sense, the devaluation of the discourse is also related to the need

to keep countries in the Global South dependent on technologies from the North.

Even in the Global South, politicians remain skeptical and reluctant to promote Indigenous

knowledge systems, revealing that discourse does not align with practical actions. It is

necessary to promote awareness among Global South agents, leading to epistemic

disobedience and a break with colonial power structures to recognize the value systems of

communities that interact with species and ecosystems.

This is valuable because certain agroecological practices have been presented as scientific

discoveries of Northern countries, when in fact they are practices rooted in the great

civilizations of the Global South (David, 2024). This integration, however, cannot be seen

merely as ethnographic curiosity; it must be viewed as the practical science of ecological

adaptation. This responsibility for valuation lies with the academia and politics of African

countries, in the sense of decolonizing the curriculum and deciding what should be studied

and its usefulness for solving African problems.

Cabral's Contribution of Thought to Climate Issues in Cabo Verde

To discuss the relevance of Cabral's thought and contributions today, it is worth asking:

where is Cabral in Cabo Verdean politics and academia? In Cabo Verde, Cabral has been

the target of far more attacks than the necessary and valuable dialogue about his

contributions to addressing problems, such as environmental ones.

However, it must be admitted that Cabral still bothers an intellectual elite that was more

concerned with reproducing Western theoretical models, without anchoring and involving

themselves in the real causes and problems of the African people. Cabral was an organic

intellectual, in the perspective of Paulo Freire, acting and thinking from two countries

(Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde), proposing strategies for the development of Africa and

humanity, using science, diplomacy, and a spirit of solidarity to dignify the human being.

Cabral argued for the need for Cabo Verdeans to know their land, the circumstances, and

problems of the country to contribute to solving structural problems. Without this deep

knowledge, there is no way to transform reality, and this has not happened given the low

investment in scientific research and the current debate on the country's history, which

involves issues such as drought, famine, water mobilization, and food sovereignty.

Cabral stated that soil erosion is one of the country’s biggest problems, which "presents a

grim state," and this issue remains the main one (Costa, 2004; Baptista et al., 2015).

Cabral placed the problem at a level that everyone knew about, at least its consequences

for agricultural activities, despite the political and scientific negligence over the decades in

reversing the erosion situation and empowering this vital sector for the country. Regarding

the phenomenon of climate change, more than 85% of the Cabo Verde population is aware

of and concerned about its impacts on the well-being of their households and on the rainfall

cycle itself. Although the municipalities (Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Santa Cruz and Santa

Catarina do Fogo) dedicated to agricultural practice are those where the population has

heard the least about climate change (INE, 2025), this reveals that those who work in the

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sectors most affected by climate issues do not have a complete understanding of the

phenomenon and, therefore, have a low capacity for reaction and adaptation.

Cabral's writings on Cabo Verde are particularly relevant for understanding climate

vulnerability. In "Some Considerations on Rain" (1949) and in the series "In Defence of

the Land" (1949-1952), he documents a dramatic environmental transformation,

identifying the destruction of natural vegetation as the primary cause of the aridity of some

islands and the development of erosion.

Cabral (1949, p. 5) documents what falls under "environmental memory" or "ecological

baseline": a comparison between a past of greater abundance and a degraded present.

Droughts in Cabo Verde have been a long-standing problem, with all the

inherent consequences, but it is not uncommon to hear elderly people express

nostalgia for the old days of abundance, when singing streams flowed through

lush valleys, overlooking hillsides covered in a wide variety of vegetation;

references to the good springs that fed the irrigation of crops; mentions of

years of plenty, of great production of corn and beans, etc. Well, it is essential

to mention that little or nothing of all that remains today.

Recovering this memory brings with it a valuable point: although irregular, it does rain in

Cabo Verde, and sometimes in significant quantities. Nevertheless, the large volume that

falls into the ocean and what is lost towards the sea, carrying away a portion of arable

land, could be used strategically, especially during periods of drought or when plants

require additional water to complete their biological cycle.

Cabral describes phenomena that anticipate the contemporary concept of extreme weather

events and their consequences, from floods that previously followed a normal course to

rainfall that eroded portions of agricultural land, indicating the low capacity for water

retention and infiltration in the soil and springs. Therefore, rains that once fed the springs

became destructive events.

Currently, data point to enormous pressure on the land, as only 10% is arable, which is

insufficient for agricultural demand, forcing the use of steep slopes for rainfed agriculture,

which increases erosion (Baptista, 2013). Due to this type of agriculture, soil loss is

estimated at 7.8 t/ha (Ministry of Environment, Housing and Spatial Planning, 2013).

Regarding solutions for Cabo Verde, Cabral had already advised Cabo Verdeans to adopt

practical measures, including the use of rainwater with minimal loss. This recommendation

has not been implemented in a structured and continuous way in public policies related to

major infrastructure in rural and urban areas. It has been more of a governmental policy

than a state policy.

In 2006, the Cabo Verdean government invested in the construction of six dams

strategies for retaining and storing rainwater, mostly on the island of Santiago, due to its

hydrogeological conditions. In 2010, the government named the construction of the

Poilão Dam; Saquinho Dam; Salineiro Dam; Faveta Dam; Figueira Gorda Dam; Canto Cagarra Dam and Banca

Furada Dam

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Saquinho dam in the municipality of Santa Catarina after 'Amílcar Cabral', in recognition

of his contribution as an agricultural engineer who grew up in the region.

However, when the reservoirs built to retain and store rainwater reach their storage limit,

they lose freshwater to the sea, while in other parts of the islands, the population faces

water scarcity. Furthermore, the problem of poor rainwater management extends to urban

buildings, squares, and paved roads across the country, which lack rainwater harvesting

and storage systems. This would be a solution to several problems in large urban centers

and a source of irrigation for green areas, which are scarce in cities.

Cabral proposed intervening directly in the movement of water, creating obstacles and

forest hydraulic works to reduce the speed of flash floods. The idea is simple but efficient:

if the water flows down with less force, it carries away less soil. Therefore, on steep slopes,

Cabral advocated the creation of terraces to stop the flow of water and allow agriculture,

to reduce the formation of gullies and conserve the soil, a practice that Cabral highlighted

at the time was already in effect on some islands, such as the Island of Fogo. This proposal

is also important for urban settlements, where unsafe housing exists.

In waterways, he suggested the use of upstream dikes and other structures (of stone or

masonry) to control floods, retain sediments, and reduce the impact of strong currents. He

spoke of the importance of harnessing rainwater through reservoirs, such as dams,

reservoirs, and cisterns, which contribute to both soil conservation and the sustainable use

of water. Cisterns are a low-cost technology that can be encouraged in both rural and

urban areas. Only 10% of people have cisterns for rainwater. In rural areas, it is 27,4%,

but in urban areas, it's only 5% (INE, 2025). (INE, 2025). It is an architectural aspect that

should be mandatory in urban construction because cities like Praia have faced enormous

pressure on this vital resource in recent years. Although greywater is not used according

to the recycling rules, it can help boost urban vegetation.

Cabral emphasized planting species that protect the soil, including shrub and tree

vegetation, as well as crops organized according to contour lines. Here, the notion that the

soil needs to be "dressed" to prevent it from being washed away by the rain becomes clear.

Nevertheless, Cabral insists that no one should apply a solution generically, as it depends

on a detailed study of the specific conditions of each place. This becomes clearer when he

analyses the issue of tree planting. For him, the essential thing in Cabo Verde is not simply

planting trees, but "creating green" intelligently, which involves selecting species that

adapt to local ecological conditions, can withstand drought, and contribute to soil protection

and some economic utility.

The shortage of green spaces has been one of the country's main environmental issues for

the past15 years. Only 0.2% of the total area corresponds to urban woodlands (INE, 2025).

Successive reforestation projects have prioritized species such as acacias, which have

become a threat to the fertility of agricultural soil and have spread uncontrollably, also due

to the decrease in soil preparation for agricultural activity and the abandonment of the

countryside.

Cabral (1949) conditions these structures and solutions on economic viability, also to

technical studies, but he emphasizes a determining point: "that there be the will (of the

leaders and the led), that is, "a conscious desire to carry out works that, by their scope,

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contribute to improving the existence of a People who, through countless generations, have

had from life only the bitter gall of suffering, the stigma of hunger."

The proposal addresses not only the technical aspects but also the political and institutional

field, advocating for the creation of forestry legislation, the training of technicians, and the

education of the population. It recognizes that the relationship between humans and trees

represents a structural struggle for survival.

If there is one word that runs through all Cabral's concerns, it is hunger. He aligns with

the innovative concept of development as freedom, which Amartya Sen and Mahbub ul

Haq proposed in the 1990s. This concept presupposes the removal of the main barriers,

especially hunger, so that people become more socially complete and can participate freely

in the development process.

Agriculture is the area most affected by climate change in Cabo Verde. For Cabral,

defending this sector is rational, as it is the basis of the Cabo Verdean economy; therefore,

it is the area that allows for the economic emancipation of the people, but it is also the

area where the people can contribute their knowledge and experience of nature-based

solutions to climate change.

Small producers face various challenges, and climate change exerts more pressure on

already fragile production systems. In Cabral's time, the rainfall regime was common

knowledge; he himself stated that it was a fact for which rulers could prepare. Today,

things have changed, and it is no longer possible for farmers to prepare during the

traditional rainy season. In this sense, a convergence between technology and ancestral

practices is needed for more resilient agriculture.

However, there are two characteristics of climate change, in relation to rainfall patterns,

that Cabral could not have considered: unpredictability and intensity. Currently, it rains

out of season and intensely for a short time, causing many damages and destruction. The

tragedies that occurred in Praia in 2021, in São Vicente in 2025, and in Tarrafal reinforce

the argument that the country has not prepared for this type of event. Nevertheless,

unpredictability itself becomes data: if it is not known when or to what extent climate

change will impact, the best course of action is to prepare for any scenario, and in this,

Cabral's observations serve as compasses.

Conclusion

The path outlined in this article allows us to affirm that Amílcar Cabral, although he did not

live to witness the scientific and political consolidation of the global climate debate,

formulated, based on his experience as an agronomist and as a leader of the liberation

struggle, a systemic understanding of the relationship between soil, climate, and society

that anticipates, in conceptual terms, discussions that would gain traction only decades

later. The concept of "soil-life-climate balance," his distinction between natural erosion and

erosion accelerated by human action, and his definition of conservation as use without

destruction constitute contributions that engage directly with what is now designated as

sustainable development, nature-based solutions, and climate justice.

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More than a technical anticipation, Cabral's thought offers a key to the political

interpretation of the contemporary climate crisis. By situating environmental degradation

as a structural consequence of colonialism and imperialism, and not as merely natural or

accidental phenomenon, Cabral provides a foundation for what recent literature calls

climate coloniality - the realization that the vulnerability of countries in the Global South

to climate change is not disconnected from the history of colonial exploitation, but rather

its continuation in new forms. His defense of African unity as a condition of strength and

struggle finds, in this sense, a direct correspondence with the current need for a cohesive

African position in international climate negotiations, marked by persistent imbalances in

adaptation financing and a historical reparation that has not yet been realized.

At the local level, applying Cabral's thinking to the case of Cabo Verde reveals both the

relevance and urgency of his proposals. Soil erosion, identified by Cabral as the

archipelago's greatest problem, remains an unresolved challenge; his recommendations

on rainwater harvesting and utilization, the resumption of terraced farming, and

afforestation adapted to local ecological conditions continue to offer technically sound

solutions to problems exacerbated by the increasing unpredictability and intensity of

extreme weather events.

Finally, this study also sought to draw attention to a significant void concerning the relative

marginalization of Cabral in contemporary Cabo Verdean academic and political debates,

especially regarding his scientific production. Recovering this dimension means recognizing

him as an organic intellectual who articulated science, local knowledge, and an ethical

commitment to human dignity. In this sense, academically valuing Cabral's environmental

thought is not an exercise in historical memory; it represents a concrete contribution to

contemporary discussions about climate justice from the perspective of Cabo Verde and

Africa.

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