This week, we wanted to focus the gRound-up on the earthquake disaster in Haiti, highlighting some articles that discuss the underlying environmental issues there.

Deforestation in Haiti
This video report by the New York Times shows how the cycle of deforestation and poverty is perpetuated Haiti.

How to rebuild Haiti
Jeffery Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, writes in the Washington Post on how basic infrastructure can be rebuilt and livelihoods can improve as quickly as possible.

The US military’s role in enhancing security
Andy Revkin writes about how the US military put its military might and logistical experience to good use during disaster recovery situations. Not only can it save lives, but it can help foster goodwill in places where the US might not be the most popular.

How much of the devastation could have been avoided in Haiti
An article in Newsweek cites a geophysicist at Columbia University, who talks about how information identifying high risk areas is not translated into policies and action that could lessen the impact of disasters. An earthquake was even predicted for the region just a few years ago.