Climate

Here is a picture of several residents in Little Haiti protesting against gentrification.

Gentrification and rising sea level are threatening to destroy the Little Haiti community. On December 3, 2015, the residents of Little Haiti gathered in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood to deliver messages about the rapidly changing neighborhood and its preservation: "Say no to gentrification, Little Haiti is not for sale, we want to stay." The Haitian Lawyer Associations are advising the longtime business and property owners of Little Haiti to remain watchful. They should not sign any document without the presence of own lawyer or agree on verbal conversations. Right now, Miami is a red hot market for properties. Once the Wynwood Art District was a home of over 70 galleries and museums and was a haven for local artists in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, the sudden surge in the real estate price, gentrification and higher rent forced many artists and gallery owners of Wynwood to migrate to some other nearby affordable locations. The inhabitants of Little Haiti do not want to follow the footsteps of the Wynwood Art District. Due to the rising sea levels, which could be attributed to the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, the sea water is often seeping in into the streets of Miami from underground storm sewers during high tide. This could be a threatening problem for Miami, but could retard the fast process of gentrification in Little Haiti.

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Sean Penn to Make Haiti a Model of Forestation with "Here Come the Trees"

During the latest climate conference in Paris, Sean Penn, the American actor and founder of 'Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization', has invited world leaders to help preserve the forests of the world. Of the many countries in the world susceptible to risks from the effects of climate change and human induced hazards, Haiti is one among the most vulnerable nations exposed to threats of sea level rising and fragile ecosystem and a regular victim of flooding, droughts, landslides, hurricanes and earthquakes. With limited institutional capacity, it is exposed to the direct impacts of climate change. Penn wants to make Haiti 'a model of reforestation' through a 10-year plan. On September 30, 2015, the Republic of Haiti has submitted its new climate action plan to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 'Intended Nationally Determined Contribution' (INDC) promise has been submitted by 114 nations before the U.N. climate conference in Paris on December 11, 2015. The Paris agreement will come into effect in 2020.

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On Saturday, President Michel Martelly participated in Martinique, to the Caribbean Climate Summit 2015 and in his speech, he stated that this is an opportunity for his Government to clarify his position on the issue. The head of state stated that no one is immune to the disastrous consequences of climate change today. He sent a blanked blame to everyone as being both victims and perpetrators of the major climate shift noticed in Increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, floods, prolonged droughts, and others

President Martelly urges the leaders to work together as only well-coordinated initiatives may give convincing results.

On Saturday, May 9, 2015, President Martelly accompanying the Ministers from the departments of Environment, Economy and Finance, Trade and Industry, participated in the Caribbean Climate Summit 2015, a one-day summit in Martinique's capital, Fort de France. Caribbean leaders from 13 countries had participated the summit, which was chaired by the French President Francois Hollande. It was a preparatory regional summit as the meeting gave participating leaders an opportunity to discuss a joint policy before the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) scheduled to be held in Paris from 30 November to 15 December of this year. Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, as the Chairman of the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, has said that the summit has given the islands an opportunity to prepare so that its concerns receive due prominence in the Paris talks.

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