GEO Haiti 2010

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GEO HAITI • 2010
emissions from other countries in the Caribbean
region, these figures still remain relatively low.
7.1.5 Waste Disposal
The insalubrious situation of the urban
agglomerations, these past twenty years, had
been quite unusual until then. Nowadays, waste,
mostly household, is accumulated at a rate that
is far higher than the one at which it can be
collected. To compensate for the inefficiency of
disposal services, incineration is seen in many
cases as the immediate solution. It should be
noted that in addition to the organic matter they
contain, waste is composed of other elements
which, when incinerated, can cause modifications
in the composition of the atmosphere.
Data is not available on gas emissions into the
atmosphere, as a result of the burning of waste.
However, due to the extent of this practice, it is
believed that large quantities of various gases
like carbon dioxide, furans and other dioxins, are
emitted into the atmosphere.
7.2 Sanitary Impacts
The impact of air pollution in Haiti remains little
documented and the issue is not even mentioned
in the most recent reports from the national
health services.
Several respiratory diseases are related to poor air
quality. According to Holly (1999) “15% of deaths
each year are caused by atrophy of the bronchi”,
and SAFFACHE (2001) notes that” the presence
of tens of thousands of vehicles, with poorlyadjusted
engines emitting into the atmosphere
[various exhaust gases], are all factors that, in
addition to dust from quarries, intensify the
suffering of the most vulnerable and promote
the development of respiratory diseases”.
However, the lack of interest with respect to the
problem should not prevent its due attention.
With respect to the health problems in urban
areas, air quality deserves special attention.
54
PNUD, 2008-2009. Gonaïves, relèvement immédiat. Rapport consolidé.
7.3 Significant Impact on
Resources
The consequences of air pollution on the
environment and natural resources, resulting
from human activities, are enormous, and the
concentration of greenhouse gases causes
significant climate change in poor countries,
more vulnerable and generally unequipped to
deal with the problem. The climatic occurrences
in 2008 in Haiti have shown that the country is
not immune to atmospheric disturbances. In fact,
these disturbances are rising.
The increased intensity and frequency of
storms are not without consequences, which
include among others: the exacerbation of land
degradation (between 1.5 million and 1.8 million
cubic meters of silt 54 deposited in Gonâves,
following the 2008 storms); the loss of habitat
for aquatic species due to sedimentation; and
the reduced quality of water (around 4,700 water
wells rendered unsafe in this city in 2008).
As mentioned by UNDP in the World Report
on Human Development (2008) “The Struggle
against Climate Change: a Plea for Human
solidarity in a divided world”, one cannot neglect
the role that Greenhouse gas emissions play in
global warming, on one hand, and then their
consequences on the increasing severity of
extreme events, on the other. In Haiti, some
weather phenomena, including natural disasters
seem to have intensified. The CO 2
produced mainly
from fossil fuel and deforestation, constitutes the
anthropogenic element which most influences
the climate change phenomenon, due to its
strong atmospheric concentration (in relation to
other Greenhouse gas emissions) and also due
to the time it remains in the atmosphere. In this
regard, Haiti seems to be better positioned than
some other countries in the Caribbean region,
in particular, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and
the Dominican Republic, that emit, respectively,
the highest amounts of CO 2
in the region
(Figure 68).