NOREF - Haiti’s earthquake: from disaster to environmental opportunity?

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Marie Gladys Archange

Marie Gladys Archange holds a dual masters degree from Ohio University in International Development and Environmental Design, Planning and Monitoring. She is a former Dean of the School of Agriculture and Environment at Universite Quisqueya, Haiti. She has worked for over a decade in environmenta...
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Haiti’s earthquake: from disaster to environmental opportunity?

Marie Gladys Archange , 25 May 2010

Summary:

Haiti, already the most environmentally degraded country in the western hemisphere, suffered another blow with the earthquake of 12 January 2010. The longer-term legacy of poor environmental management and economic policies is visible in the depletion of forested areas, increased soil erosion, poor waste management, and the destruction of biodiversity.

What makes the challenge even greater is that new threats that might hinder these efforts are emerging: among them floods and landslides, waterborne diseases due to poor sanitation in the camps, food scarcity, and the destruction of infrastructure. There is an urgent need to make the risk assessment of natural disaster an integral part of all levels of planning and decision-making.

This raises a key question: will the earthquake’s impacts at last lead to environmental issues becoming a priority during the recovery and reconstruction period – or is it already too late to transform this fatal event and the worldwide response to it into an opportunity for Haiti's environment?