Sobre este episodio
We take a look at São Tomé and Príncipe, a country on the sharp end of climate change - the BBC's Tamasin Ford, interviews its president, Carlos Vila Nova who wants the world to do more than just talk. We also hear how the island - the entirety of which is a massive volcano - is home to lush, tropical rainforest and some of the most important biodiversity in Africa; Príncipe is a UNESCO biosphere because of its unique environment. But despite being breathtakingly beautiful, it’s poor with the smallest economy on the continent and around 90% of its budget comes from foreign donors, topped up by tourism - we hear how the pandemic has affected this vital part of the economy. Perhaps the biggest threat to the nation though is rising sea levels; in São Tomé and Principé, 4% of the land mass has already been lost to the Atlantic Ocean with entire houses being washed away; Tamasin visits one in Principé. The country is already doing what it can - more than two thirds of the islands are protected national parks and by the end of this year the government hopes to have written into law the country’s first ever marine protected areas, but will it be enough?
