Natural and Environmental Disasters

Government bodies have set up both a National Protection Service and a National Commission for Natural Disaster Management to monitor threats and respond to natural and environmental disasters.

Although natural disasters in Guinea-Bissau tend to occur in the form of droughts and epidemics, it is recognized that the geographic position of the country creates the possibility of oil spills, tsunamis and earthquakes, and thus a need to prepare for these hazards as well. Major environmental disasters in the recent past have primarily been droughts, with some 32,000 people affected by droughts between 2005-2009. The Guinean climate is strongly marked by an extreme fluctuation of rainfall levels, irregularity in rainfall patterns, a longer dry season in some regions of the country, a recent increase of yearly average temperatures (around 1º C), and, concurrently, an increase in the average sea level. In addition to this, projections for future rainfall patterns predict a continuation of rainfall fluctuations and rising temperatures, increasing the risk of natural and environmental hazards. Due to the subsistence nature of many households in Guinea-Bissau, the population and economy is strongly tied to its natural resource base. The recent changes in rainfall levels and patterns have disrupted the capacity for many citizens to adequately provide for themselves. Additionally, Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world, and this creates a fundamental vulnerability when addressing climate change-induced natural and environmental disasters.