Cuba’s uncanny ability to weather natural disasters with minimal loss of life is a continual source of wonderment to outside observers. An island in hurricane alley, Cuba recognized risks of climate change early and has developed the most detailed, long-term plan to confront it of any nation in the world. This collection by an international team of scholars is a deep dive into Cuba’s relationship with its environment—disaster preparedness, the tension between development and conservation, and adaptation to climate change. Cuba’s exceptional efforts to live in harmony with its environment is a subject that has not received the attention it deserves—a knowledge gap for which this book is an important remedy.

William M. LeoGrande, American University

This timely study offers a highly complex and multi-disciplinary analysis of Cuba’s outstanding ability to deal effectively with the twin – and closely-related – threats of natural disasters and climate change. It provides a wealth of perspectives on how Cuba has developed sustained policies to face these increasing threats; and it demonstrates through carefully-contextualised chapters how the Cuban response is based both on collaboration and on singular, often highly inventive, solutions to its own problems. It is a must for researchers of development and environmental studies and a host of other disciplines, and its interdisciplinary focus is a model for collaborative research.

Par Kumaraswami, University of Nottingham, UK

Much of the world’s youth worry that governments make only pretend gestures about climate change. Anyone sharing their concern might want to put aside whatever prejudices they have about Cuba and study the book Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change in Cuba. This collection of 14 essays may be the most profound untold story in print about an island nation struggling for survival against dangers already rising at its shores. The essays are an extraordinary assemblage of articles, with each author covering specific topics.

New York Journal of Books