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Haiti pushing to reduce greenhouse gases

by Nancy Roc, freelance journalist

Nairobi, 17 November 2006 (Panos). Haitian Minister of Environment Mr Franz Germain has reported that his vulnerable island is working on a comprehensive set of initiatives to stem climate change including the reduction of greenhouse gases.

’Even if the studies have shown that we are not producing lots of gas emission, we have to consider the implementation of greenhouse gases reduction policies with an option toward sustainable development because climate changes have no administrative or geographical limits”, Germain told Panos shortly before the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference .

He explained that the Haitian government had started implementing several initiatives including a new national reforestation program, setting up an ozone bureau in the capital, Port Au Prince to work on different gas emissions reducing initiatives in such areas as the energy, transportation and lodging industries.

Mr. Germain also revealed that refrigeration agents are being trained to see how gases can be changed in the existing air conditioning system in Haiti.

“We are also training customs agents who can reduce the importation of such products. We are collaborating with the ministry of agriculture to see if we can reduce the bromide which is used in different agricultural pesticides. Today, we can say that Haiti is actively participating in the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions particularly in the frame of Montreal’s Protocol,” he said.

Haiti, known for its weak economy and political instability, is very vulnerable to climate change due to its catastrophic deforestation (there is only 1 per cent left of its forests), the erosion of its soil, the weakness of its natural resources and the heavy concentration of its population on coastal cities. Haiti is the only least advanced country in the Americas and had to face major natural disasters such as the floods in Gonaives, Mapou and Fonds Verette in 2004 which killed thousands of people and left countless homeless. In October 2006, the floods ravaged several municipalities of Gros Morne leaving, in just two days, two people killed and many houses destroyed.

This critical situation has helped to push the Haitian government to start implementing a new national reforestation program.

‘This program will create 20,000 jobs and we are working with the ministry of education to get the youth involved and make them aware of these environmental problems,” the environment minister said, while adding that his ministry was collaborating with the Dominican ministry of environment to reforest the Massif La Selle (which at its highest point reaches 2,674 meters and includes the major Haitian national parks: Foret des Pins, Parc la Visite and Pic Macaya).

“This will create a biological corridor,’’ said Germain.

Germain was not a part of the delegation from Haiti to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Nairobi from November 6 to 17th. The delegation present in Nairobi included the general director of the ministry of environment, Mr. Daniel Brisard and the engineer in charge of climate change programmes at the Ministry, Mr. Jean Pierre Moise. The delegation presented a program prepared by the ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). This document entitled PANA, National Plan for climate changes adaptation, targets all vulnerable areas in Haiti such as the South, the West, the North West, the Artibonite Valley, the North and the South East. The agricultural, water resources and coastal sectors are seen as the most vulnerable to climate change. Farmers and all people living in fragile ecological areas such as the river beds, the ravines, the mountains and the towns with heavy urban concentration such as Port-au-Prince, Cap Haitian, Gonaives and St Marc are considered the most vulnerable populations.