Cuba's climate has been subject to significant weather events that have influenced everything from way of life to government policy. In addition, with year-round hot temperatures, the weather dictates everything from how people dress to what kind of crops they grow.
Cuba's climate is primarily subtropical, consisting of a rainy season and dry season. Overall weather conditions are fairly uniform throughout the year, unlike in other countries where temperatures fluctuate considerably from season to season,
Insight Cuba noted.
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Cuba's climate has played a key role in the development of agriculture, both historically and more recently. Prior to 1991, Cuba had received oil and petrochemicals from Eastern Europe and what was the Soviet Union,
Slate noted. When the Iron Curtain fell, however, Cuba lost these ties – and its supply of oil and related products. Without these items, Cuba could not protect its farmland from extreme weather events. Thus, the country transitioned to more sustainable farming methods, including using natural means of fertilizing crops and attracting insects to control pests. While the country began using modern methods again when oil became available, in many areas these more natural methods are still used.
Located in the Caribbean, Cuba is prone to hurricanes and tropical storms, some of which caused widespread devastation and left a lasting impact.
CubaHurricanes.org noted that four hurricanes in the first half of the 20th century caused massive damage and loss of life. As a result in the 1960s, Cuba created the Measure System for Civil Defense. This new system was so effective that,
according to The New York Times, you're more likely to survive a hurricane in Cuba than you are in the United States.
More recently, severe weather has affected food supplies and forced the country to develop a long-term plan for addressing climate change. United Nations University noted that three major hurricanes in 2008 caused food shortages and a nationwide financial loss of $10 billion. As the country realized that climate change was likely to create even more extreme weather conditions in the region, it launched studies to evaluate the likely impact. When the researchers discovered that climate change could lead to dangerously rising sea levels, the country made plans to level many of the manmade built structures on the coastal areas to protect the coastline,
The Huffington Post reported.
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