Climate Change

In 2005 Guinea-Bissau sent an Initial National Communication on Climate Change to the UNFCCC. In 2008 this was followed by a National Adaptation Programme of Action on Climate Change (NAPA), which was submitted to the same authority.

Due to its status as an LDC and its geographic position, Guinea-Bissau is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This is due to its geo-climactic conditions, high reliance on natural resources and limited capacity to adapt to the negative effects of climate changes. Added to this is the fact that the majority of households in Guinea-Bissau operate at a subsistence level and are highly vulnerable to changes in natural resource availability. Projected negative consequences of climate change include a fall in agricultural, forest and grazing production; loss of human life arising from malnutrition and food insecurity; and an increased risk of endemic diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. These impacts have already being felt for some time due to a drop in rainfall and gradually rising temperatures. The Guinea-Bissau NAPA identified the agrarian, water supply, health and coastal sectors as the priority areas in which the adoption of immediate adaptation steps to mitigate climate change are needed. Additionally, sea temperature rise threatens the mangrove forests of Guinea-Bissau and coastal infrastructure. The LDC status of Guinea-Bissau and its inability to adequately provide climate-related infrastructure severely limits its capacity to adapt to increasing changes.