When I was younger I remember feeling the Loma Prieta quake while at an after-school program, and then upon returning home, heading next door to see my neighbor’s swimming pool still thrashing about. It was a peculiar sight.
(Photo: Creative Corps / Flickr)
That sense of peculiarity has returned to me these last couple months. First the earthquake in Haiti occurring a little less than a year after I was in the country assisting with a post disaster environmental assessment. And now the earthquake in Chile. Concepcion, Chile, the second largest city in the country that has sustained some of the most horrific damage, was my home for the better part of five months a number of years ago. The epicenter of the quake itself was disturbingly close to a remote stretch of coastline where my friends and I would retreat to camp and surf.
Both of these earthquakes are reminders that Earth is not a static place, but a changing and at times violent one. Some of those changes are gradual, and other times, as we have observed, they are sudden and severe. Both Haiti and Chile offer two examples of the latter case. Continue reading Catastrophe in Chile vs. Haiti and the Built Environment
The recent earthquake in Haiti has highlighted a whole host of issues related to development, poverty, the environment, and security. Countries in which natural resources are mismanaged, degraded, or heavily exploited are more susceptible to the devastation brought on by environmental change, and when extreme events and conflicts do occur, these countries are far less likely to effectively respond to the crisis.
Even before the earthquake in Haiti, decades and indeed centuries of deforestation left the country with declining agricultural yields, heavy erosion, and few natural buffers to limit the possibility of landslides, flooding, and subsequent structural failures during the onslaught of seasonal tropical storms and hurricanes. The destruction brought about during the recent earthquake and the 2008 hurricane season illustrated this fact in painfully clear terms.
In this regard, Haiti is not unlike a great deal of other countries in the developing world. While it is an extreme case, it is not a unique one, and increasingly the security community is drawing the linkages between the role natural resources, and now climate change, play in fueling instability and even worse, armed conflict. Continue reading The New Security Climate: Environmental Vulnerability
The following short video from worldfocus was published in February, 2009, but is as relevant today as ever. Prioritizing ecological restoration and supporting environmentally sound infrastructure and development projects will be critical if the country’s long term recovery efforts are to reduce vulnerability to natural disasters such as the earthquake on January 12, 2009, or the hurricanes and tropical storms of August-September 2008.
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.
The following photos were taken during a March 2009 field assignment in Haiti. The purpose of that trip was to conduct a post-disaster environmental needs assessment following the 2008 hurricane season. This gallery offers some images of what Port-au-Prince looked like at that time, and provides a visual context for the sort of building construction and materials that made the city so vulnerable to the January 12 earthquake. It also offers a brief look at some of the environmental challenges facing Haiti. Now more than ever, Haiti will need help to reverse many of these trends as it starts the long process of rebuilding. It will be one of the most significant environmental recovery efforts ever launched.
A view of the dwellings that fill the hills surrounding Port-au-Prince (Scott MacKenzie, March 2009)
At 4:53 p.m on January 12th a 7.0-magnitude earthquake centered just 10 miles west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince violently shook and toppled an already dire situation there. Reports coming out of Port-au-Prince are that the city has been largely destroyed. Hospitals, schools, government buildings, UN’s MINUSTAH headquarters, and homes have all collapsed. Building debris and fallen electrical lines block roadways, and relief supplies have yet to reach the roughly 3 million people who are estimated to be affected. Tens of thousands are feared dead, and more are likely missing. Aftershocks have continued to rock the city and dampened hopes as the great many who are now without shelter and basic supplies such as food, water, and medicine face further challenges.
Roughly 3300 miles from the destruction, the tremors of what has happened shake me, and I can only imagine the scale of what has occurred. As I struggle to find the best way to contribute to the relief and recovery, and to help ensure the safety of friends and colleagues of mine who experienced these horrific events in Port-au-Prince, perhaps it is wise that I share with you some of my thoughts and experiences, and hopefully offer some insight into what has happened. As I learn more, I will do my best to add and refine information. Continue reading Port-au-Prince, Haiti: An Environmental Catastrophe
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Copenhagen is now 5 days old. As expected, the gathering of 193 country delegates and a combined 16,500 international negotiators, NGO representatives, activists, and journalists at the Bella Center is showcasing some of the most difficult political and economic challenges facing the global community today. Given the importance of curbing climate change from unabatedly dangerous levels, some are calling it perhaps the most important diplomatic meeting in human history.
Source: Flickr Creative Commons/mrlins
Many of the thornier issues that have held up agreement in the past continue to stifle negotiators at Copenhagen. Specific targets on emission reductions for industrialized and developing countries, mechanisms for financing mitigation and adaptation efforts in countries that lack the wealth to afford such measures, and information and technology sharing between nations are several prominent examples of areas in which nations have consistently had trouble reaching consensus. (For more information on the latest developments at Copenhagen see COP-15 official news releases.)
One of the more notable developments coming out of the conference this week is the debate surrounding the position being put forth by the Alliance of Small Island States, spearheaded by Tuvalu, on a counter track to the Kyoto Protocol that would set stricter targets for temperature increases. Aosis, as the alliance is known, has proposed the creation of a Copenhagen Protocol that would be both legally binding and more aggressive in its targets for emission reductions amongst both developed and developing countries. (Read more about the proposal here). Continue reading Tuvalu and Goliath
I just finished watching a stunning visual documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand called HOME. The film, released last summer and available to watch free online, shows our planet in all of its natural beauty through high definition aerial photography. But accompanying this natural beauty, are images depicting a wide range of the global environmental problems routinely discussed here such as deforestation, climate change, water shortages, and poverty.
By putting a human face and bringing to life these problems, the film has a very powerful message: that we humans have dramatically altered not only the majority of the planet’s landscape, but the fundamental chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans. And without a dramatic change in our current trajectory, we will push many of these the planets already stressed systems past the breaking point.
While most many of the visuals are a bit depressing, the film ends on a positive note with a series of positive actions and trends being taken around the world. As the narrator says, “It’s too late to be a pessimist.”
I encourage you to watch the film. You won’t be disappointed.
This week the gRound-up is a bit shorter due to the holiday break. We hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving!
East Antarctic Ice Sheet Losing Mass Quickly
Of all of the major ice sheets, the East Antarctic has been thought to be the most stable – until now. New satellite data from NASA is showing that this sheet has been shedding mass the past three years. The scientists are quick to point out that the cause of this sudden mass loss is inconclusive, it is still disheartening. Read more from the BBC.
Jakarta Chokes on Garbage
Our former classmate Sara Schonhardt filed this story about Jakarta’s garbage problem for Voice of America. A significant percentage of Jakarta’s trash is not disposed of properly which clogs its sewers and drainage canals, leading to flooding during the rainy season. The problem is huge, but there is some progress on the ground. You can also listen to the audio here.
Obama Confirms Plans for Copenhagen
President Obama has not only confirmed a visit to Copenhagen during the climate negotiations, but is showing up with firm emission reduction targets on the table. While Obama’s offer will not be binding (as this will ultimately require legislation by congress), these recent developments offer renewed hope that a climate agreement will take shape. Read about it from The New York Times.
Have the Climate Wars of Africa Begun?
In northern Kenya, conflict over scarce water and pasture resources reminiscent over the conflict in Darfur have killed 400 people. A severe drought linked to climate variability has made existence even more difficult for the region’s inhabitents. While it is impossible to attribute a single event to climate change, global warming will amplify existing vulerabilities worldwide. Read the story in the LA Times.
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