Haiti: An Environmental Disaster

It came to me that in writing a paper I should choose something of much relevance to me and to all people as well. Thus, I decided to focus on issues of my native island, Hispaniola as they now call it or better Ayti-Quisqueya, the Native American name. But, more specifically I will focus on the Republic of Haiti, as this country is the epitome of a man made environmental disaster.

Haiti is now only 2% forest land compared to 60% in 1923. This disaster is a direct consequence of human exploitation of the land. Most Haitians rely on wood for subsistence, and this in turn caused an almost complete deforestation of the land. Now, this case is rather different than most scenarios of environmental depletion where big corporations are responsible for the disasters. Instead, the poor people, which constitute over 90% of the population of Haiti are responsible for the problem.

Nevertheless, this is a mere superficial understanding of the situation. Through my research paper I will seek to prove that this is a consequence of racist foreign policies, especially American policies, that have driven the Haitian peasant to completely subsist on wood because of such drastic poverty levels. The American government claims to have intervened in Iraq because people were subject to many human rights violations, yet neighboring countries such as Haiti have remained virtually ignored despite obvious violations of human rights.

I know my topic is rather controversial and difficult to support; nevertheless, I think it is an important point to prove. Not only does this thesis convey what exploitation of the land can do to entire countries, continents and eventually the world, but also that ecological destruction is a political issue as well.

I intend to write this paper for American people who care about helping others and themselves as well. I contend that a lot of the problems of the world, especially those in countries in the Americas, have been caused to large degree by the United States and the American powerful corporations that exploit the resources and the people of other countries.

Sites I will use:

Hartford-Hwp: This site provides general environmental background of Haiti. Moreover, it has records of different economic policies throughout Haiti’s history.

Haiti Innovation: This site is very thorough. It contains the latest news about Haiti and its economy. Although, I believe this is a blog, it does have lots of information that will at least get me started in the process of writing my paper.

Zmag: This is not a website but an article I find to be veryrelevant to my topic. This article was written by Noam Chomsky and though I know I probably will not use this as a source per se, it is a great starting point.

Reflection

Before taking the LIB 200 course I was oblivious to the environment to say the least. Yes, I did hear all the time that Global Warming was affecting us and that soon the world would end. Nevertheless, these claims just seemed like exaggerated presumptions. I often regarded such assertions as mere conspiracy theories.

Nevertheless, we live in a world that entirely consumes and suppresses our feelings and ability to reason. Why would I think about the environment if I am struggling just to live my daily life? The increasing complexity and time consuming nature of our society has stripped us from the ability to take care of an essential part of our existence; our collective home that is.

On this, I would have to agree with Al Gore. We are completely disconnected from the environment. In fact, many of us even hate interacting with it. “Why would I wanna go out and hang out, when I could just talk to my friends through myspace”? asserted my brother. How about a nice park? I said. To which he replied:

“for what, to sit on the grass and get itchy.”

It seems to me that we are trapped in the world of “manufactured information” as Gore says. We are failing to see that we engaging in patterns of self-destruction. Just today I read an article in the New York Times, that talks about an American Government high school book that downplays the relationship between green house gasses and global warming. The books claims that there is little evidence linking global warming to green house gasses. The authors go on to say that though coastal areas will suffer because of a sea-level rise, the world will also benefit from a warmer temperature because of better production rates of crops.

Note that this is an American Government textbook.

Is there then a political Agenda for ignoring Global Warming? Perhaps there is, but I would even say that it is more than simply a political agenda. It is a mechanism of maintaining the status quo. Gore says that we were able to overcome segregation and discrimination after the civil rights movement, but is this really the case?

Why is there still a correlation between being a minority and having a low level of education? Why are minority communities subject to the highest levels of pollution? Why are illnesses connected to pollution, ever-present among minority communities?

Simple: we are still dealing with the same problems we were 50 years ago.

The history of humanity has unfortunately been one where the few who hold power and wealth do whatever it takes to maintain their status. We have never been moral beings concerned about others and the environment. Here I fundamentally disagree with Al Gore.

The solution to the problem is not to reestablish a sense of morality that we once had. I contend that has never been the case. We have essentially always generally been egocentric beings. I propose a more practical solution:

pragmatism.

We need to realize that we are facing a fast developing problem. We need practical solutions that will generate fast results. Otherwise we will cease to exist. And though, Gore’s solution is noble, taking that route would simply take to long if not an eternity.

But going back to the issue of race and the environment, as minorities we have to quickly seek to resolve the problems. The fact is, minorities are the ones experiencing the effects of pollution first hand. Do you think George Bush thinks about Global Warming while smoking his Cuban cigars (isn’t this ironic) in his multi-million dollar estate?

That is why I agree with Terry Cole when he says that we have duty to fulfill with the environment; an obligation.

So, have I learned anything from this class?

I must say I have. I try to be as aware as possible. I evaluate my actions and try to maintain a purpose to my daily life. It’s been a shock. I remember watching the An Inconvenient Truth film. I realized the seriousness of this problem at that point. My brain is now filled with incessant worries and I still don’t know whether we will make it or not.

But it truly is hard, to completely change your lifestyle, the lifestyle that has been inculcated in you since childhood. I find myself struggling with this. Yet, as I browsed through other people’s blogs I realized that others are struggling with the same thing.

I hope the knowledge I have gained in this class will take me in a long journey, a journey of survival.

Exploring Blogs

Sustainable Cities Blog: It seems to me that this blog is an attempt by CUNY to organize and gather all the different environmental groups and institutions of New York City, so as to work symbiotically in creating sustainable cities. I have to say though, I was not particularly fond of this blog; it seemed a bit static to me. Somehow I felt that it has not been updated for quite some time.

Gristmill: I liked this blog very much. It has lots of information written accessibly. However, I think it is a bit overwhelming. It has way too many links and stuff; it is a complete chaos for the beginner environmentalist. However, once you pass the mess, there is lots of information. I especially liked the articles about Martin Luther King. I like the analogy of what Dr. King would say if he were still alive and dealing with the environmental problems we are facing today.

Green as a Thistle: Very interesting blog. Vanessa really went on a quest for being green. Nevertheless, this blog addresses only certain types of people. Not very many people live in those circumstances. Maybe her blog appeals to suburban America. I do admire what she did; it was an incredibly valiant pursuit. But, I just somehow cannot connect to her story. I don’t feel part of it; it seems so distant from my reality. Again, I am not condemning her blog, just expressing my feelings of detachment from her story.

No Impact Man: This is by far the best blog of all. I particularly like the idea of being eco-effective. In other words, in order to live in harmony with the environment we must learn to keep a balance; we must assess nature not only by what we can take from it, but also by what we can give to it. He then conveys how bees don’t have to go on “crash diets” or crash solutions to save the environment because their very lifestyle is eco-effective, and that is the key to solving the problems; we must change our lifestyle. Moreover, as opposed to Vanessa’s blog, No Impact Man is about an urban family. This is especially important since the majority of the world’s population lives in cities. As Colin says, “it is an urban problem.”

Eco Geek: Something like this is absolutely needed; people must actively seek for eco-technology. But, this is a slow developing industry. The fact is that as of now eco-friendly technology is significantly more expensive, and in a world where rich and the poor economical disparity is ever-increasing, eco-technology seems impalpable for the majority. Nevertheless, it is good to know that some corporations are taking steps towards developing this environmentally friendly industry. What corporations must realize is that adopting this new industry will create economical growth. In other words, we will not have to give-up money for eco-technology. In fact, this can be a push to the current receding economy.

BBC Environmental Pages: This website has the latest information about the environmental issues and problems. Check it out.

I left a comment on the No Impact Man blog, in his “Life Style Change Required” post.