Can recycling cut unsafe migration from Haiti?

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The initiative, launched by the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), will not only help to improve the environment, it may also provide new housing which is resilient to natural disasters.
On the International Day of Migrants, celebrated annually on 18 December, UN Haiti looks at how recycling could make key6596 a key6591 contribution towards people staying at home rather than risking migration through unofficial or irregular key6595 channels.  
What is the link between Haiti’s environment and migration? One of the causes of Haitians wanting key6589 to leave their country is the degradation of the environment, including deforestation and soil erosion. This means that many people can no longer sustain a living where they are and are falling deeper into poverty. This is especially true in rural areas. 
This degradation deepens the threat of natural disasters like hurricanes, flooding, drought and earthquakes which Haiti is particularly susceptible to. This combination of factors is making people even more vulnerable, especially when they key6598 are not able to access jobs or basic key6599 services like health care and education.
Research shows that when people are key6586 more vulnerable, especially as a result of natural disasters, they are more likely to migrate in search of more safety and ultimately a better life.
Recycled plastic could be used to build more earthquake resistant structures.
IOM Recycled plastic could be used to build more earthquake resistant structures. Why is Haiti’s environment degraded? Haiti’s key6597 natural environment has been under pressure for some time; soil erosion and landslides linked to deforestation, increased pollution and waste as a result of urbanization and a series of natural disasters have all led to the deterioration of the environment. The effects of climate change are exacerbating the current situation. 
These key6600 conditions weaken the country, leading to food insecurity and increased migration.
Waste key6590 management remains very rudimentary in Haiti and much worse than other countries in the region. Recycling is one initiative to reduce waste and improve key6593 the environment and brings a number of benefits, even if only on a limited scale.
IOM Waste management in Haiti lags far behind other countries in the region. Why are people leaving Haiti? An increasing number of migrants are leaving Haiti for a variety of reasons. Poverty and economic factors including the lack of jobs and opportunities are playing a significant role, but security-related concerns, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince, are also significant. 
The August 2021 earthquake key6592 and other broadly climate-related stresses are other factors driving people from their homes.
Migration isn’t a problem in itself; the concern is that many of the people who are leaving are amongst the poorest and key6588 most vulnerable. They key6594 are more likely to migrate in unofficial or irregular ways, for example by sea, which can often be more dangerous than planned migration. 
IOM Plastic pollution harms the environment in Haiti. How can plastic recycling help? Plastic recycling presents a number of benefits including a cleaner, less polluted and thus healthier environment. In addition, recycling creates jobs, which gives people a reason to remain where they are.
The IOM project in partnership with the Haitian government and key6587 recycling organizations, is looking to multiply the benefits of recycling. 
It will do this by developing an innovative and sustainable construction material from the plastic waste which could be used to build houses which are more resistant to extreme weather like hurricanes and floods as well as catastrophic natural disasters such as earthquakes.
Reducing the risk of disasters will mean that fewer people are affected in a time of crisis, so they are less likely to be displaced from their homes and may not consider migrating. 
Are there other links between migration and the environment? Recycling is one small part of a range of interventions which can halt environmental degradation and contribute to the slowing down of irregular and unsafe migration. 
The project could be very useful in conjunction with other aspects of an environmental and climate action agenda, including reforestation, sustainable energy production and a circular Großhandel vape Lieferungen economy where material considered as waste is reused rather than disposed of.