Petroleum Giant BP Capping Carbon Emissions to Combat Climate Change

As minister counselor for the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations, Marie Altagrace “Astride” Nazaire works with key public policymakers and business leaders to identify and research issues relating to migration, sustainable development goals, financing for development, and education. Additionally, Astride Nazaire is well-versed in climate change. 

While its actions in the past are said to have contributed to the speed of climate change, petroleum giant BP is taking baby steps in preparing for a low-carbon future. In April, the company's chief executive, Bob Dudley, announced plans for a cap on carbon emissions up until 2025. Even with continued growth, BP has pledged to limit its carbon emissions to the total recorded in 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed. Moreover, the company intends to cut carbon emissions by 3.5 million tons by 2025 through reduced flaring at oil and gas sites and an increase in energy-efficiency investments.

Should those measures fail to help the company meet its carbon emission-reduction goal, it plans to invest heavily in high-quality carbon-offset projects. The announcement comes on the heels of BP working to grow the low-carbon portion of its business with upwards of $500 million of annual investments in clean technologies and renewable energy, including the construction of more solar and wind farms.

Free Courses for the Public from UNITAR

Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire prepared for her professional accomplishments with a master's degree in public affairs at Indiana University. As a Diplomat, Astride Nazaire completed training courses from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Since 1963, UNITAR has increased the effectiveness of United Nations efforts by providing training and education in areas ranging from diplomacy to public policy. The Institute reaches out to nations listed as Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

UNITAR supplies a variety of courses open to the public. These free courses take place several times a year and include topics such as Human Rights and the Environment, Introduction to the 2030 Agenda: A New Agenda for a Sustainable World, and Confronting Trauma - A Primer for Global Action. Other courses treat issues such as climate services, civilian protection, and conflict analysis.

For more information about current free offerings from UNITAR or to learn about other opportunities, such as the Institute's private training events and master's programs, visit unitar.org/our-courses-and-events.

Haitian Initiative Teams Timberland with Smallholder Farmers Alliance

With a focus on issues ranging from gender equality to sustainability, Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire serves as Minister Counsellor within the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations. Astride Nazaire has a strong focus on efforts that help improve the economic and social justice in her island nation. 

In recent news, a partnership between the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and footwear and outdoor apparel company Timberland is helping develop the country’s cotton supply chain. With the once-robust cotton industry having collapsed three decades ago, SFA cotton trials began last year, when seeds were planted. A first harvest occurred in February 2018. 

With Timberland committed to funding the five-year SFA initiative, field trials will continue through to a planned 2020 product launch employing SFA cotton. As part of the agreement, Timberland is committed to purchasing a significant percentage of its international cotton supply through Haitian smallholder farms. 

Beyond simple cotton production, the effort also involves planting trees and the creation of a Ground to Good fabric that meets performance standards set by Thread International. These standards include taking care of the environment through such efforts as recycling plastic bottles recovered from canals and streets.

A Path to Sustainably Meeting Haiti’s Energy Needs

Economist and public policy professional Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire serves as Minister Counsellor for Economic Affairs and lead economist for the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations. In 2013, Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire gave a speech to the United Nations in New York on the impact of climate change on Haiti. In her speech, Ms. Nazaire spoke about Haiti’s energy needs and how improvements can be made to move Haiti toward a greener economy.

In 2013, Haiti’s total energy consumption was over 2,000 tons of oil equivalent, or about 200 kilos per capita. Up to 75 percent of its energy was derived from carbon-emitting firewood and charcoal. Petroleum products contributed 21 percent, and electricity made up less than 5 percent. Haitians’ heavy reliance on firewood and charcoal has led to massive deforestation. Today, forests cover only 2 percent of Haiti.

Investing in electricity generation can reduce deforestation in Haiti. It is estimated that the country’s energy needs can be met with 600 megawatts of power. However, current production capacity does not exceed 217 megawatts. Comprehensive investment in electric energy with a focus on hydropower and wind power, both of which have significant potential in the tropical island nation, is needed to power Haiti, maintain and restore its forest cover, and reduce its carbon footprint.

Climate Change Negatively Affecting Public Health

An Indiana University graduate, Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire has served as minister counselor for the permanent mission of Haiti to the United Nations since 2005. In addition to contributing to macroeconomic policy, Astride Nazaire participates in daily discussions regarding important issues such as climate change.

Much of the public discourse involving climate change focuses on the negative impact global warming has on the environment, but there is growing concern that it has a similar negative affect on public health. Following its 2015 Commission on Health and Climate Change that concluded climate change could threaten the past half-century of public health advances, the Lancet, a leading health research journal, released a subsequent study in 2017 that suggested negative impacts on public health could be much worse than expected. 

Climate change exacerbates extreme weather events, and those natural disasters are typically linked to public health crises. For example, Hurricane Maria had a direct impact on the death of an estimated 64 individuals in Puerto Rico, but further reports suggested that a disruption of health care services led to an additional estimated 1,000 deaths. Consequently, residents of the island with chronic illnesses have seen their conditions worsen as a result of the increased strain on the health care system. 

According to The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, pollution of water, air, and soil accounts for upwards of nine million deaths per year, and that figure is expected to rise with an increase in natural disasters.

The Barbados Programme of Action of 1994

Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire serves as Minister Counsellor on the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations (UN). As part of her role in advocating for the Caribbean community, Astride Nazaire spoke at the UN’s Second Committee on the importance of implementing the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) to par development between rich countries and small island developing states (SIDS). 

BPOA was adopted in 1994 at the UN Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of SIDS held in Barbados. The program was backed by the Barbados Declaration, indicating the political will of global leaders to follow up on its mission. 

BPOA highlights the specific development challenges faced by SIDS, including small size that prevents economies of scale, geographic isolation, dependence on international trade, high population density that strains available resources, costly infrastructure, and limited institutional capacities. The program then outlines a 14-point agenda highlighting the actions necessary to address these challenges. These include: addressing climate change, expanding energy resources, managing wastes, supporting national and regional institutions, promoting innovative scientific and technological solutions, and continuously developing human resources.

Small-Island Developing States: At the Frontline of Climate Change

Since 2005, public policy expert Marie Altagrace “Astride” Nazaire has represented Haiti as a diplomat at the United Nations. In her work, Astride Nazaire addresses policy regarding issues such as poverty, international migration and development, and climate change. She is particularly interested in how climate change affects small-island developing states (SIDS). 

While climate change represents a threat to the health of all nations, the 52 SIDS around the world are especially vulnerable to its effects on the planet. Evidence suggests that a sea-level rise caused by climate change could force some coastal populations to relocate within the next 10 years.

In addition to raising sea levels, climate change affects weather patterns, leading to increased temperatures and rainfall. A continued rise in sea-surface temperature will eventually degrade coral reef ecosystems, which many SIDS depend on to provide food and support activities related to tourism. Increased heat, rainfall, and extreme weather events can also contaminate drinking water and facilitate the spread of infectious diseases. 

To assess risks and help SIDS adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, groups around the world are partnering to take action. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2017, the World Health Organization, along with the U.N. and the president of Fiji, announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at protecting SIDS residents. The initiative will focus on ensuring that all SIDS develop “climate-proof” health systems by 2030.