Cabo Verde Environment - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Environment - current issues

deforestation due to demand for firewood; water shortages; prolonged droughts and improper use of land (overgrazing, crop cultivation on hillsides lead to desertification and erosion); environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 31.99 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 0.54 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 0.13 megatons (2020 est.)

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 1.6 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial: 400,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural: 25 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources

300 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Climate

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic

Land use

agricultural land: 18.6% (2018 est.)

arable land: 11.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.7% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 21% (2018 est.)

other: 60.4% (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues: 0.38% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 67.1% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Food insecurity

severe localized food insecurity: due to lingering effects of drought - about 10,000 people (approximately 2% of the total population) were estimated to be in “Crisis” in the June‑August 2020 period; the main causes of the food insecurity are the drought and pest attacks on cereal and fodder production (2021)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 132,555 tons (2012 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Cabo Verde on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cabo Verde 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cabo Verde 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.