Environmental Law in Cuba

This groundbreaking article describes the evolution of Cuban environmental law. It begins by hazarding a summary of the machinery of government. It then moves to consider early environmental laws and policies, the emergence of a new environmental ministry in 1994, a new framework environmental law in 1997, subsequent programs for environmental impact assessment, coastal zone management, and biological diversity, and first steps towards their implementation. It ends with an assessment of special economic, political and legal challenges Cuba faces and their relationship to environmental policy.

The questions are obvious. The answers are not, but their pursuit is very much in play. This article will be an indispensable guide for public and private decision makers in considering the environmental impacts of Cuba's growth and development in the 21st century.