Amílcar Cabral and the political ecology of climate change: a contribution to raising awareness

Abstract

This study recovers the intellectual legacy of Amílcar Cabral, an agronomist and leader of the liberation struggle in Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde, situating his studies on erosion, soil conservation, and climate (1945-1960) within the contemporary debate on climate change, environmental justice, and political ecology. Starting from Cabral's concept of "soil-life-climate balance", the work argues that Cabral, decades before its scientific recognition, discussed fundamental issues of climate change, such as the distinction between natural and anthropogenic erosion, climate coloniality, and the importance of local knowledge for ecological adaptation. The study articulates Cabral's scientific trajectory with his critique of colonialism and imperialism as structures that produce environmental degradation, analyses the principle of unity and struggle as a foundation for a collective African response to the climate crisis, and examines the relevance of his technical and political proposals for the specific case of Cabo Verde, in light of recent data on soil erosion, water scarcity, and climate vulnerability in the archipelago. It can be concluded that Cabral's thought offers a theoretical and practical framework that remains underexplored in Cabo Verdean academia, one capable of engaging in dialogue with contemporary authors on climate justice and decolonial ecological politics.