Haiti is one of the countries that contribute to global climate change, with 83.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions since 1751 compared to the United States’ 426.94 billion. However, Haiti, which has long faced challenges of poverty and public safety, is also one of the countries most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of the changing climate.
Pierre LaBoissiere of the shed light on how such circumstances came to be during his presentation at the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force’s virtual “Climate and Fascism†summit on Nov. 15.
With 25 minutes allotted to present, he linked the Caribbean country’s current crisis to fascism and colonization dating back to Christopher Columbus’ invasion of Hispaniola in 1492.
“It was based on the plunder and destruction of Indigenous people’s livelihood and their balance with the environment,†LaBoissiere said. “The Spanish introduced a system of depleting the environment.â€
Once covered with precious trees of valuable timber like mahogany, Haiti has experienced major deforestation since the colonial period, and a 9.2% in total tree coverage between 2000 and 2023.
Due to a lack of job security in the country, many Haitians in rural regions resort to tree felling, the process of cutting down trees, as a means of survival, supplying over 70% of its annual energy consumption. Nonetheless, during the virtual summit, LaBoissiere emphasized his desire to eradicate the notion that impoverished rural populations in Haiti are to blame for major tree loss.
“What has been occurring with the deforestation has been a result of capitalism,†he said.
He told attendees about France demanding Haiti pay reparations following the conclusion of the Haitian Revolution in 1804, and what came of that agreement.
“One of the biggest resources that was used to repay that, in addition to coffee and hard cash from coffee sales, was payment in terms of timber,†said LaBoissiere. “I remember my dad, who was born in 1905, telling me about how much of the timber was being felled from the interior of Haiti and being walked to the seashore so that ships from Europe and the U.S. could pick it up.â€
Environmental Health and Public Safety in Haiti: ‘Together, We Can Win‘
Changes in rain activity have also deeply impacted Haiti.
According to a “mean annual rainfall decreased by 5 [millimeters] per month per decade since 1960,†contributing to long drought periods.
Based in Cap-Haïtien, climate change researcher Jessy Alexander Becius has adamantly helped fight the effects of atypical rainfall. He led an initiative allowing approximately 50 households in Ãle de la Tortue, the community he was born in, to suffer less from droughts.
“A device has been put in place so that rainwater is collected from the roofs of several households and then stored in a tank built for this purpose. Thus, when drought occurs, the rainwater previously stored is distributed to these households,†Becius explained.
The combination of environmental instability and gang-activity-related political insecurity recently caused over 20,000 Haitians in Port-au-Prince to flee from their homes over four days, according to a Nov. 18 report from the United Nations. Others have left the country completely.
“The link with the fascist governments has tremendously caused the tragedy that we are seeing today in terms of people fleeing Haiti — the refugee situation,†said LaBoissiere in his presentation.Â
Peterson Destin described the weight of his decision to come to the United States from Haiti earlier this year.
“With regret, I made the decision to leave my country,†Destin said. “I constantly think of my family.â€
While fleeing Haiti was a difficult choice for him, Destin understands it was a reasonable choice as the scarcity of food and clean drinking water grew, contributing to the lack of personal progress on both a professional and social level.
He possesses a deep love for his country’s culture, people and food, and hopes to fight for a new Haiti where all its inhabitants are free and have a high quality of life.
“I had a great career in public administration,†he said. “Here in the USA, I am starting from scratch. I dream of being able to serve my country again.â€Â
Leaders who met at the United Nations Security Council’s briefing regarding Haiti on Nov. 20 seemed to be losing hope for a positive outcome in the Caribbean country.
“Extreme levels of gang violence continue to erode state authority and pose an alarming threat to the people of Haiti and to international peace with no improvement in sight,†said Miroslav JenÄa, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas.
Even though other global powers may become discouraged, LaBoissiere concluded his presentation by calling fellow Haitians and allies to action.
“Let’s stand strong and fight this thing,†he urged. “Together, we can win.â€