The island of Hispaniola is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, it is part of the Greater Antilles and sits at the boundary of the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates.

Port-au-Prince is the capital, chief port and commercial center of the west Indian republic of Haiti. The city has suffered from fires, civil strife and earthquakes, with a very powerful one in 2010 of magnitude 7.0, thus devastating Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region.

Natural causes of global dimming: large volcanic eruptions

Anthropogenic causes of global dimming: biomass burning-> widespread use of charcoal and wood

Effect of positive feedback on global climate change:

·      Deforestation and reduced carbon sequestration

o   Deforestation for charcoal production

o   Climate change amplification: less CO2 absorbed meaning more greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere

·      Higher temperatures and drought

o   Rising temperatures cause longer dry season-> reduced soil moisture ->harder for vegetation to recover

o   Climate change amplification: hotter conditions lead to stronger hurricanes ->flooding

·      Increased soil erosion and desertification

o   Climate change amplification: increase of local temperatures

Effect of negative feedback on global climate change:

·      Warmer temperatures and more evaporation from the ocean leading to cloud formation

o   Resulting in a higher albedo effect

Natural disasters in Port-au-Prince:

·      Floods

·      Hurricanes

·      Earthquakes

·      Tropical storms

2.    Social factors:

Unemployment is extremely high, aside from some foreign-owned factories and assembly plants employment is mostly found in the informal sector. This includes: cooking, shelling peanuts, and selling art crafts.

How has climate change affected the population?

“According to a study carried out by UNICEF on weather-related disasters, 43.1 million children have been displaced by these disasters at worldwide level - the equivalent of around 20,000 child displacements every day. Almost all - 95% - of the child displacements recorded were caused by floods and natural disasters.”

2.1 Connection to tourism and health

The level of tourism fluctuates with political conditions and has been in decline since the civil unrest and economic crisis in the early 1980s. Specially, since there is a high number of murders, armed robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault.

Tourism was also affected by the AIDS scare of the early 1980s. Even though tourists brought the disease into the country, nowadays due to the extreme poverty and lack of education there is a high incidence of HIV in Port-au-Prince and in general throughout Haiti. Furthermore, other diseases such as cholera have a high incidence in the city.

Another disease that affects tourism is traveler’s diarrhea because of the poor sanitation.

3.    Economic factors:

Haiti's development continues to be hindered by political instability, increasing violence, and unprecedented levels of insecurity, which exacerbate fragility. Therefore, it remains the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean and among the poorest countries in the world.

·      In 2023 the GDP per capita was of US$ 1,693 and a GINI index of 0.41

·      Because of the low economic status of the population children are limited on a cognitive and physical basis

4.    Political factors:

·      Port-au-Prince is currently experiencing severe political and security challenges. Since the murder of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the country has struggled with political instability, leading to the emergence of a transitional government. Even before these Haiti suffered from colonial exploitation, brutal dictatorships and political dysfunction/corruption. Because of these the political situation has always been very unstable, and now with the death of the President armed groups have taken over the city.

·      Furthermore, the political situation is further complicated by the dominance of armed gangs. These groups control approximately 80% of Port-au-Prince, severely undermining the authority of the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the transitional government. Due to the dominance of these gangs escaping the capital seems impossible as in all exits of the city there are arm groups found.

·      Locals protest against these challenges, but theses leads them to either death, prison or injury also due to the intense violence people are forced to flee, and most of these displacements have sought refuge in over 48 sites.

5.    Demography:

Port-au-Prince's 2025 population is now estimated at 3,133,080. In 1950, the population of Port-au-Prince was 133,278. Port-au-Prince has grown by 72,910 in the last year, which represents a 2.38% annual change.

Websites that were assessed and in case of wanting more information:

https://www.unicef.org/haiti/en/stories/haiti-facing-challenge-climate-change?

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/9/30/what-is-really-behind-the-crisis-in-haiti?

https://solargis.com/resources/free-maps-and-gis-data?locality=haiti

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/haiti/overview

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/23/haiti-port-au-prince-rebel-gangs

https://www.iom.int/news/violence-triggers-record-displacements-port-au-prince-over-60000-people-month

https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/haiti/port-au-prince

·      Geographycal physical and human factors for population disributions

·      Internal migration

·      Demographic shifts

·      Resource avaliability