Climate Change and Pollution's Effect on Haitian Healthcare

By Morgan Manier, We Kids Chronicles

Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

As of 2017, Haiti has been identified as the most vulnerable country to climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean [1]. This is a long standing matter affecting livelihoods, as well as the stability of Haiti’s healthcare, particularly surrounding pollution-induced illness and disease. Moreover, with an increasing risk of global climate change, pollution, and the future of Haiti’s public medical care shrouded in uncertainty due to recent gang violence, understanding which specific factors affect the greater population’s overall healthcare is essential to developing long-term solutions. This article delves into the various environmental and pollutant impacts on public health, Haiti’s medical infrastructure development or lack thereof, and finally environmental projects within Haiti working to combat core health care issues. 

Fourteen years ago marked Haiti’s 2010 earthquake that left an estimated 300,000 people dead, a third of the population displaced, and the nation’s capitol in ruins [2]. Categorized as one of the worst environmental disasters in modern history, this event exacerbated Haiti’s already unstable economic status [3], placing priority towards infrastructure redevelopment, and putting healthcare on the backburner despite the Cholera outbreak that occurred directly afterwards [4]. This event showed the dangers Haiti faces at the hands of climate change. A major factor affecting Haiti’s susceptibility to climate change effects is its location within the Atlantic Ocean, making it situated directly in the path of Atlantic hurricanes and storms. However, the highest natural hazard in Haiti is floods, making up 50 percent of natural hazards from 1980-2020 [5]. Frequent flooding occurs primarily in Haiti's western region as a result of the steep, mountainous topography, in combination with multiple major rivers running coast to coast. During times of heavy rainfall, the water runoff into these rivers spills over into populated areas, causing infrastructure destruction, injury, and death [6]. In terms of major future climate change threats, increased drought was identified as the highest risk [7], and if it becomes a reality, the already present hunger crisis in Haiti that affects 4 million people will quickly become a mass famine. [8]. Drought will decrease crop yield and water availability, resulting in further starvation and diseases from tainted still-water reservoirs and desperate consumption of expired food, putting further stress on Haiti’s healthcare sector. 

A coastal town is flooded.Photo ID 533384. 25/10/2012. Haiti. UN Photo/Logan Abassi.

Aside from climate change risks to Haiti’s public health, pollution-induced illnesses are also common. Most households in Haiti use indoor makeshift kitchenettes that burn solid fuels such as manure, wood, and food waste [9]. With prolonged exposure to the inhalation of ash, fine particles can become lodged deep in the lungs, causing inflammation of the lungs and a weakening of one’s immune system. These underlying symptoms can lead to more serious illnesses like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, etc.. [10]  The WHO found that worldwide, the combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually [11]. But, the matter of water pollution and water-related illnesses such as cholera is an urgent issue. Seeing as cholera is caused by the consumption of feces contaminated food or water, it is more easily spread in areas with poor or absent water sanitation infrastructure [12]. Cholera was first introduced into the water supply because of improper waste disposal practices of Nepali MINUSTAH troops after the 2010 earthquake. Coupled with the loss of major sanitation infrastructure by the earthquake, cholera spread throughout the country claiming 8,534 lives by January 7, 2014 [13]. However, this data is contested, with some sources stipulating the number of deaths in 2010 reached more than 10,000 [14]. The most recent cholera outbreak that occurred in October, 2022 [15], highlighted a continuous lack of development in Haiti’s water-borne illness prevention health care sector. 

Progress on the HUM solar project continues as the team installs racking and solar panels on the roof and upgrades wiring inside the hospital. (Photo: Jimmy Forest/PIH)

Despite the negative effects on Haiti’s healthcare by recent political and social developments, there are internal efforts within Haiti to combat climate change and pollution. In 2020, former President Moise announced the government would be adding 190 megawatts (mw) of generating capacity, including 130 mw of solar projects and 60 mw of thermal power facilities. However, the project was halted due to COVID-19 and insecurity within the capital[16]. The purpose of these projects was to provide Haiti with a stable reliance on natural energy rather than fossil fuels. With this shift, Haiti could contribute to global efforts of keeping the global temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius [17], decreasing the likelihood of extreme climate events. What’s more, The World Bank [18], and organizations like The Water Project [19] are currently working with local communities to provide water banks in villages without proper water filtration or sanitation facilities. While this is an essential aid provision, such efforts must also be supported by the central government to prove successful in the long-term. As such, a direct focus on international aid to provide water wells, and the development of clean water systems, is even more pressing than alternative energy. 

Haiti must prioritize its healthcare sector while understanding the role the environment plays in the complex puzzle of health. By studying climate impacts on the healthcare sector, Haiti can develop strategies that work both directly on improving environmental infrastructure, while subsequently assisting in protecting citizen’s health. As a result, the scope of addressing healthcare in Haitian communities will naturally expand. 

[1]USAID 

[2] Britannica

[3] Britannica

[4] National Library of Medicine 

[5] Climate Change Knowledge Portal 

[6] Climate Change Knowledge Portal 

[7] USAID 

[8] Le Monde 

[9] Mount Sinai 

[10]World Health Organization 

[11] World Health organization 

[12]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

[13] National Library of Medicine 

[14] ReliefWeb 

[15] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

[16] International Trade Administration 

[17] United Nations 

[18] The World Bank