Climate Change Resilience

The case of Haiti

Publication date: 25 March 2014
Author: Bhawan Singh, University of Montréal, and Marc J. Cohen, Oxfam America

Haiti has long faced severe natural and human-created hazards due to its location in the Caribbean hurricane zone and to widespread deforestation. Hazards including storms, floods, and droughts have highly destructive impacts on buildings, land, water, livestock, and people in Haiti. The poorest Haitians, including low-income women, children, and elderly people, are especially vulnerable. What are the impacts of climate change, now and in the future?

The prospects for building Haiti’s resilience to climate change are now closely tied to post-earthquake reconstruction. As Haiti turns its attention to preparing for more disasters and rebuilds significant parts of its infrastructure, there is a real opportunity to integrate climate resilience into these efforts.

This report analyses Haiti’s adaptive capacity, adaptation options, and finance and governance issues. It concludes with recommendations related to resilience building and climate-change adaptation needs and opportunities.