The horrendous destruction visited on Haiti last week has sparked a torrent of compassion from around the world. Even the bioenergy community has turned out to support the relief effort. But when the relief agencies move on to the next crisis and the last US marine has returned home, Haiti will still be an impoverished and broken country suffering the consequences of decades of profound social, economic, and environmental neglect. There is much talk of planning for the long term stability and growth of the nation. But any development aid and growth plans will take time to bear fruit. Even Continue reading
Haiti
Haiti’s environment
The border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic (D.R.) is more than just a political boundary.
It also reflects the large amount of deforestation that has occurred on the Haitian side of the border.
One can easily see from satellite imagery the lush forests still thriving on the D.R. side of the border, which is in sharp contrast to the Haitian side of the border. Continue reading
On Environmental Brink, Haiti Scrambles for a Lifeline
“With any reforestation campaign, you have to find first a solution for energy.” — Antonio Perera, Program Manager, UNEP, Haiti The satellite image compares forest cover along the Haiti-Dominican Republic Border. A recent New York Times article explains what happens when a country’s energy-poor population exhausts its last remaining fuelwood resources. The country is Haiti and the picture painted is not pretty. With much of its forest cover gone, the poorest (and oldest) developing country in the Western Hemisphere’s stands now on the brink of environmental catastrophe. The story, reported by Nathaniel Gronewold of Greenwire, the web-based environmental policy and Continue reading