Society Comparison Paper (Denmark & Haiti)
Environmental Studies
Kesha B.
12/09/2012
Westwood College
Haiti has a failed society partly due the ecosystem while Denmark society lives a successful and sustainably economy. In Haiti, acute poverty forces the population to rely on wood and charcoal for fuel and income, leading to ever more deforestation. Sixty-six percent of Haitians depend on agriculture and small-scale farming, but most cannot produce enough food on the eroded hillsides to even feed their families. When tropical storms regularly hit Haiti, rainfalls ravage crops, bring flooding and wash more topsoil into the sea. The 7.0 Mw earthquake in January 2010 added new dimensions of suffering and urgency. And Haiti’s government, which has been chronically weak for decades, has not been able to provide sustainable solutions to these problems (Cho, 2011). While Denmark’s economic freedom score is 76.2, making its economy the 11th freest in 2012 Index. Its overall score is 2.4 points lower than last year, reflecting considerable deterioration in public finance management. Denmark is ranked 3rd out of 43 countries in Europe region, and while its overall score remains well about average, the country has dropped out of the top 10 rankings (www.heritage.org).
Denmark was once at the forefront of nuclear research and had planned on building nuclear power plants. However, in 1985, the Danish parliament passed a resolution that nuclear power plants would not be built in the country and there is currently no move to reverse this situation. In 2010, Denmark generated 38.6 billion kWh of electricity gross, 44% (16.9 billion kWh) of this from coal, 20% (7.9 billion kWh) from gas and 20% (7.8 billion kWh) from wind. Per capita electricity use is about 6000 kWh/yr and has been largely unchanged for several years. In 2007, electricity prices in the country were the highest in the world (www.world-nuclear.org). The Haitians energy use is vastly different from the Danish. The student who studies in the
Kesha B.
12/09/2012
Westwood College
Haiti has a failed society partly due the ecosystem while Denmark society lives a successful and sustainably economy. In Haiti, acute poverty forces the population to rely on wood and charcoal for fuel and income, leading to ever more deforestation. Sixty-six percent of Haitians depend on agriculture and small-scale farming, but most cannot produce enough food on the eroded hillsides to even feed their families. When tropical storms regularly hit Haiti, rainfalls ravage crops, bring flooding and wash more topsoil into the sea. The 7.0 Mw earthquake in January 2010 added new dimensions of suffering and urgency. And Haiti’s government, which has been chronically weak for decades, has not been able to provide sustainable solutions to these problems (Cho, 2011). While Denmark’s economic freedom score is 76.2, making its economy the 11th freest in 2012 Index. Its overall score is 2.4 points lower than last year, reflecting considerable deterioration in public finance management. Denmark is ranked 3rd out of 43 countries in Europe region, and while its overall score remains well about average, the country has dropped out of the top 10 rankings (www.heritage.org).
Denmark was once at the forefront of nuclear research and had planned on building nuclear power plants. However, in 1985, the Danish parliament passed a resolution that nuclear power plants would not be built in the country and there is currently no move to reverse this situation. In 2010, Denmark generated 38.6 billion kWh of electricity gross, 44% (16.9 billion kWh) of this from coal, 20% (7.9 billion kWh) from gas and 20% (7.8 billion kWh) from wind. Per capita electricity use is about 6000 kWh/yr and has been largely unchanged for several years. In 2007, electricity prices in the country were the highest in the world (www.world-nuclear.org). The Haitians energy use is vastly different from the Danish. The student who studies in the
References: NucNet: The World Independent Communications Network for Nuclear Energy and Ionising Radiation.. (n.d.). NucNet: The World Independent Communications Network for Nuclear Energy and Ionising Radiation.Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.worldnuclear.org Cho, R. (n.d.). Restoring Damaged Ecosystems The Challenge of Haiti – State of the Planet. State of the Planet. Retrieved December 9, 2012, from http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/12/21/restoring-damaged-ecosystems-%E2%80%93-the-challenge-of-haiti/ Columbia University in the City of New York. (n.d.). Columbia University in the City of New York. Retrieved December 5, 2012, from http://www.columbia.edu Continued loss of biodiversity in the Danish landscape. (n.d.). dce.au.dk. Retrieved December 5, 2012, from http://www.dmu.dk/en/news/artikel/continued_loss_of_biodiversity_in_the_danish_landscape/ Worldwatch Institute . (n.d.). Worldwatch Institute . Retrieved December 9, 2012, from http://www.worldwatch.org