Haitiwebs recently ran an announcement by Maxime Roumer, Senator of the Grande Anse Region, thanking Cuba for its cooperation in promoting the use of renewable energy in Haiti. The Cuban Society for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and Envrionmental Respect, CubaSolar, and the Grande Anse Assocation have formed a partnership to bring renewable energy options to the Grande Anse region.
I was reading an article on Carribean 360 concerning the International Development Bank's $760 million plan to renovate the Peligre Dam, in order to increase its capacity to provide electricity to the portion of Haiti south of the dam. Hydropower can be an asset to countries, but not at any cost. The Peligre Dam is a cautionary tale about the horrible things sometimes done by governmental and international organizations in the name of development. Development for whom? At what cost?
On Monday, December 3rd, representatives from 180 countries will convene in Bali, Indonesia for the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 3rd Meeting of the Parties (MOP) of the Kyoto Protocol. And this means what...?
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has recently released its annual development report. The focus this year is on climate change. Two countries are frequently raised as cautionary tales thoughout the report - Bangladesh and Haiti.
According to the United Nations Environmental Program, more than one billion trees were planted worldwide. Mexico and Ethiopia led the way. Ethiopia, not exactly a model of good governance, illustrates that when a government has the political will and when communities are aware of the importance of the environment, motivated to preserve it, and the resources to do it, social change can happen rapidly.
What is happening in Haiti? Why is our economy getting worse every day? Why can’t we resolve basic issues and end poverty? I am still amazed to hear from family members that there are frequent periods without electricity that last more than a week! Can’t our government realize that is a terrible loss for a developing country? What has been done to resolve the problem of electricity?
July Stand-by, August a Must, September Remember and October…OVER? Not in Haiti and certainly not now. In recent years the 10th and 11th months in Haiti are this educational weather ditty’s August, October and November a Must. As the rains have rearranged this hurricane jingle they have also rearranged Haiti’s rivers to destroy homes and lives, numerous Haitians are now living in temporary shelters.
Below is an article I was reading in the International Herald Tribune entitled, "Haiti's Usually Raucous Day of the Dead Solemn After Flood Deaths". I was struck by a quote by Dessaville Espady who said "Each of these trees is a life spirit. The more trees we cut, the more we suffer"
Per the article below, a U.S. Congressional Delegation visiting Haiti to assess the extent of flood damage from tropical storms had to finish the trip early and return stateside as a result of another approaching tropical storm. In a country that is both deforested and has limited infrastructure, storms can have very serious consequences.
The flooding in the south of Haiti is front page news on the well known disaster/conflict response site, Reliefweb. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released a situation report (sitrep) stating that thus far 37 have died, 4 are missing, and 78 wounded. In all, 14,504 families were affected and over 3000 families displaced.
