IndexIntroductionBodyConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionJust over 200 years ago, Haiti gained independence from France, which turned out to be one of the worst mistakes this country would ever make. Haiti's economy would take over a century to repay the French and would not focus on developing its own country (Labrador). Therefore, Haiti remains a developing country that continues to struggle year after year and relies heavily on assistance from other countries to survive. Haiti, in fact, is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and there are no signs of improvement for the Haitian population (Labrador). As I learned previously, Haitians' GDP per capita (average annual income) is about $800, which is surprising considering that in the United States our GDP per capita is about $60,000. This means that the average Haitian family lives on about $2 a day. In the United States, it is extremely difficult to understand the degree of poverty that most Haitians face on a daily basis. There are several reasons for Haiti's corrupt economy, but in this research paper I will focus on the environmental issues that have negatively affected the Haitian economy. I will talk about the economic effects of the 2010 earthquake, deforestation and lack of sanitation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Body To begin with, it is important to discuss the effects of one of the most devastating natural disasters to ever happen to a country. In January 2010, Haiti was hit by an earthquake, which killed approximately 250,000 people and injured approximately half a million others (Kent). As a result, the earthquake caused even greater damage to the million people who owned small businesses and homes in Haiti, Kent. The earthquake is known to many scholars as the most devastating natural disaster that a country can face today (Amadeo). Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, was the center of the earthquake that caused complete destruction and left the city without homes, public services and sources of income (Amadeo). Most importantly, Haiti's schools were destroyed, which is significant because lack of education is the main reason for poverty in Haiti. Before the earthquake, only 65% ​​of children attended school, but after the earthquake devastated Haitians, the country is not even close to enrolling children in classes anywhere near the 65% rate (Kent). As a result, educated Haitian families usually emigrate to find better job opportunities away from Haiti, because there are not many great opportunities in Haiti (Kent). To summarize, approximately 20% of Haiti's 10 million population was dramatically affected by the 2010 earthquake (Amadeo). However, before the 2010 earthquake, Haiti had promising economic development on the rise, there were signs of growth and improvements, but Haiti remained as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (Amadeo). Some scholars saw the Haiti earthquake as an opportunity for a new beginning and others saw the earthquake as the end (Kent). I believe the 2010 earthquake left Haitians with no hope of improvement in the near future. Haitian communities are strong-minded and resilient individuals, but I don't see a method Haiti can use to recover from this devastating natural disaster. Following the earthquake, Haiti suffered damage estimated at 14 billion dollars (Amadeo). Furthermore, thanks to massive donations from other countries and the cancellation of the debt of Venezuela and credit card companies,there have been almost no signs of recovery for this poor country (Amadeo). After the earthquake, the United States donated large sums of money to help start the recovery process, but Haitians have struggled to start the process due to the extent of infrastructure damage and worker inefficiency. (Kent) . Finally, with the lack of tax revenue and uncertainty over promised aid from countries, the government continues to struggle to meet basic needs, such as; food, water and shelter to their community (Kent). To summarize, I pray that Haiti finds hope and a path to recovery, but I do not believe Haiti will ever become a developed country. Secondly, deforestation has been an ongoing problem in Haiti for centuries, ever since they gained independence from France. In fact, Haiti has the highest rate of deforestation in the world. Haiti has only 2% of its original rainforest left (Burger). This has led to massive amounts of flooding, erosion, habitat destruction and loss of homes (Burger). However, most Haitians rely on wood as part of their daily lives to cook, heat, and sell charcoal to cities for their families to earn money (“Deforestation in Haiti”). The government also relies on coal as an export to other countries, bringing a small amount of revenue to Haiti. Haitian families have to live day by day, they never know what the future holds. Furthermore, farmers in Haiti need land for small-scale agriculture, so they have to cut down trees to provide pasture for the new agriculture (Burger). Therefore, not only are farmers ruining plant and animal habitats, but they are also ruining a source of income for the country through tourism. As a result, I believe that in the next 100 years Haiti will suffer from a mass extinction of animals, while people will urgently leave the country. All rainforests will be eliminated by deforestation and massive amounts of rainfall will completely wipe out all of Haiti's crops. Economically, families will have no way to survive in this country due to the lack of government assistance they receive each year. The government has not adopted another method of energy production for Haitian families, who are therefore forced every day to continue cutting down trees for charcoal to survive (“Deforestation in Haiti”). Furthermore, it is almost impossible for farmers in Haiti to plant trees on their pastures, to restore the environment (Burger). This method simply has no economic value and farmers have neither the capacity nor the income to help restore the environment. Farmers are worried about helping their families survive day after day instead of helping their country reach its peak. To summarize, Haiti's economy will continue to suffer due to the inefficient use of agriculture unless the government is willing to step in to make a change. Finally, it is important to highlight how the lack of sanitation in Haiti has negatively affected the economy. . Haiti, as a country, lacks basic sanitation needs to prevent infectious diseases and protect health (Lefevre). Haiti is the most deprived country in the Western Hemisphere, by a wide margin, of drinking water and sanitation (Gelting) services. In fact, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, access to drinking water has decreased dramatically in both rural and urban areas (Gelting). Since the year 2010, Haiti has been affected by an ongoing cholera epidemic resulting in a huge amount of reported cases and deaths (Gelting). Simply, the..