Tackling one-tenth of Haitian deaths and helping the environment

Two new research papers for the research project Haiti Priorise look at different ways to reduce deforestation and deal with the interlinked challenge of air pollution.

Air Pollution

Household air pollution from solid fuels caused one in ten deaths in 2016, claiming more than 8,200 lives.

The health effects caused by cooking with solid fuels include ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Very few households have adopted improved Cookstoves which are more efficient and cleaner burning. LPG has the lowest rate of use in the Americas.

Biomass fuels are expensive, reflecting the scarcity of forested land. A kilogram of charcoal costs nearly fifty US cents. Thus a household can spend up to a dollar on charcoal per day, in a nation where the World Bank estimates more than half the population lived on less than US$1 a day as recently as 2012.

Benefits and Costs of Cooking Options for Household Air Pollution Control

Household air pollution from solid fuels is the fourth-most serious risk factor in Haiti for death and disability, after child and maternal malnutrition, unsafe sex, and high blood pressure. It caused one in ten deaths in 2016, claiming more than 8,200 lives.