Environment
Haiti’s environment is affected by complex challenges including deforestation, air pollution, and polluted waterways.
Agroforestry and cookstoves would both aim to reduce deforestation. While estimates vary on the scale of forestry loss, Haiti’s deforestation challenge is complex. Solutions such as optimal agro-silviculture and carbon pricing infrastructure aim to create an economic incentive to create new forested areas.
Changing cooking stove technology and habits would instead reduce the demand for charcoal and wood, thus leading to less deforestation.
This approach would also generate reduce air pollution, which would have considerable health benefits and save lives.
Urban sanitation and WASH initiatives would aim to improve clean water access.
Renewables and off-grid electricity would introduce less polluting forms of energy.
Continue to check back for future research releases related to Environment.
Costs and Benefits of Agroforestry in Haïti: Value Chain that Includes Environment and Health
Between 70% and 95% of the energy used for cooking in Haiti is from wood and charcoal, which is detrimental to the country’s forests. Original forest area is now only 3.5%, according to FAO (2015), though other sources put it as high as 30%.
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.
Pit Latrines or Container Based Toilets?: A Cost-Benefit Analysis comparing two approaches to improving sanitation access in urban areas of Haiti.
Written by Rachel Sklar, Doctoral Researcher, UC Berkeley School of Public Health. The research studies the effects of achieving universal urban access to improved water and sanitation.
Economic Costs and Benefits of Three Water and Sanitation Interventions in Rural Haiti
Written by Dale Whittington Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Department of City & Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The research examines the costs and benefits of reaching rural households with improved water and sanitation access.
Comparing Grid-Scale Renewable Energy Generation Technologies in Haiti
Written by Bahman Kashi, Founder – economist and adjunct lecturer, Limestone Analytics and Queen’s University with co-authors Jay MacKinnon, Juan Belt; Nicolas Allien, take a comprehensive look at renewable energy. The research is a study of using Wind Power, Solar Photovoltaic (PV), Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), and Hydro Power for generation.
Providing Electricity using Isolated Grids in Haiti
Written by Bahman Kashi, Founder – economist and adjunct lecturer, Limestone Analytics and Queen’s University with co-authors Jay MacKinnon, Juan Belt; Nicolas Allien, take a comprehensive look at off-grid energy. The research is a study of installing new, smaller-scale grids that have their own distribution and generation. Different technologies are studied, including solar panels and batteries, diesel generators, and pico-hydro generation.
