The Dominican Republic and the Environment

The The Dominican Rep. comes 45th in the world when it comes to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is computed using 21 data sets. The The Dominican Rep. does better than average in terms of energy to GDP efficiency₁ (the best in The Americas), its forested percent change 2000-2020₂, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₃ (but low for The Americas) and in its environmental performance₄. After some long periods of intensive top-down protection of the environment from the 1930s, the majority of the population came to adopt many wise sustainable principles. The Dominican Republic has 74 parks or reserves, covering 32% of the country's land, and has a "vigorous indigenous conservation movement with many non-governmental organizations staffed by Dominicans themselves [and not] foisted on the country by foreign advisors"₅. The The Dominican Rep. still has work to do. The The Dominican Rep. does worse than average in reducing annual meat consumption per person₆ (still good for The Americas) and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 for its score on the Green Future Index₇ (one of the lowest in The Americas).

1. Dominican Republic's Responsibility Towards The Environment
2. Data Sets
   1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020
   2. Environmental Performance
   3. Energy to GDP Efficiency
   4. International Accords on the Environment
   5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment
   6. Meat Consumption
   7. Green Future Index
3. Links

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1. Dominican Republic's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to The Americas (2025)8
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank8
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
4	Chile	56.4
5	Peru	56.7
6	Dominican Rep.	65.0
7	Ecuador	65.6
8	Guatemala	66.1
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)8
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank8
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
42	Senegal	63.4
43	Hong Kong	64.6
44	Cyprus	64.8
45	Dominican Rep.	65.0
46	Ecuador	65.6
47	Hungary	65.8
48	Guatemala	66.1
49	Lesotho	66.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₉. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2. Data Sets

2.1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020

#biodiversity #deforestation #environmentalism #forests #over-exploitation #the_environment

The Dominican Republic and Haiti share the island of Hispaniola, which used to be entirely forested. The two nations, with two very different approaches to forest conservation, created a very visible difference between the island's two halves. You can stand on the border at many places, face east into the Dominican Republic, and see large pine forests. But face west into Haiti, and see "nothing except fields almost devoid of trees"₁₀. 28% of the Dominican Republic is still forested, but, just 1% of Haiti remains so.

The causes are historical; Haiti was made a French colony, and France abducted half a million slaves from Africa and dumped them on sugar and coffee plantations in the 18th century, causing Haiti's enduring population size problem, which led to deforestation that was never managed sustainably. On the other side, Dominica benefitted the approach of dictator Trujillo's and authoritarian Balaguer, who despite serious flaws, were both obsessed with protecting natural resources, especially forests.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better2
Pos.		Total2
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
35	Estonia	8.7%
36	Romania	8.7%
37	Spain	8.6%
38	Dominican Rep.	8.5%
39	Greece	8.4%
40	Réunion	8.1%
41	UK	7.8%
42	Martinique	7.2%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Regarding its forested percent change 2000-2020, the Dominican Republic ranks 38th in the world.

Forests are carbon sinks, mitigating against climate change_11,12. Unfortunately, we are destroying over 70,000 km² of forest each year₁₃. In the last few thousand years, we've removed 30-40% of the Earth's forest cover_14,12, mostly to clear space for agriculture, and for logging_15,16. The produce from both is shipped from poorer countries to richer ones. Half-hearted government efforts and company obfuscation of supply chains makes it almost impossible for consumers to tell which foods and products are from sustainable sources, and which ones are encouraging irresponsible deforestation, meaning that there is little incentive for companies to relent.

The effects are catastrophic. 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation_17,15. It brings soil erosion from wind and rain which, over time, can almost-permanently stop any hope of growing food₁₈, and spreads desertification. Entire ecosystems are collapsing as a result, including ones that we depend upon₁₉. The water cycle is driven by forests, and their loss reduces ordinary rainfall, increases flooding, removes an abundant source of water filtration, and contributes to a rise in water levels.₂₀.

Some regions of the world are increasing their forest cover₁₂; the best from 2000-2020 are Scandinavia (13.8% ), The Balkans (11.0% ) and Baltic States (7.6% )₂. There is an overall trend that developed countries gathered their riches by using up their natural resources, and now, they pay poorer countries to use up theirs instead, whilst they can afford to slowly rebuild their natural environments. But it's not wholly that simple - some rich regions are still burning through what they've got. The regions clearing their forests fastest are Central America (-12.8% ), Africa (-9.1% ) and North America (-2.9% )₂.

For more, see:

• "Deforestation" by Vexen Crabtree (2024).

The environmental history of Hispaniola was explored comprehensively by Jared Diamond in "Collapse" (2005):

“Exploitation of valuable trees [...] increased in the 1860s and 1870s [...] due to forest-clearance for sugar plantations and other cash crops, then continued to increase in the early 20th century as the demand for wood [rose]. Soon after 1900 we encounter the first mentions of damage to forest in low-rainfall areas from harvesting wood for fuel, and of contamination of streams by agricultural activities.”

"Collapse" by Jared Diamond (2005)₂₁

Local government passed its first laws regulating logging and contamination of streams in 1901 and concerned civilians began their own forest-conservation movements in 1919, resulting in the first natural reserve, Vedado del Yaque.

Not long after 1930, the situation changed somewhat when dictator Trujillo brought his own demands. He expanded the natural reserve, created others, created natural parks, and setup forest guard corps to enforce protection. He demanded loggers leave some old trees standing as sources of seed for reforestation; many of them are still alive today. In the 1950s, still going, Trujillo paid Swedish academics to advise him on dams, and he declared more natural parks in order to strategically protect water supplies for future hydro-electro power generation, so that his Dominican Republic could burnt less wood for power. He prevented unauthorised settlements in protected areas. All in all, he acted well for his people when it came to environmental concerns. After his death, widespread pillaging of forests occurred, led by the logging industry.

Dominica elected a new leader, Balaguer, in 1966. He was associated with fraud, violence, intimidation, murdered opposition members; and was an archetype of a south American strongman dictator. But... he perceived the threat of disaster that would ensue if Dominica continued to allow deforestation. He banned commercial logging and closed all the sawmills. Commercial firms responded by hiding deeper in the forests, and running secret sawmills at night-time; there was money to be made, regardless of the future of the country. Balaguer didn't relent. A worldwide famous event in 1967 saw the military raid a large illegal logging camp; the armed gangster-loggers foolishly tried to fight, and dozens of them were killed. Raids continued, and the loggers retreated. All of this hurt some of Dominica's richest families, who were profiting from the damage; this included his own friends: but Balaguer was not corruptible by friendship₂₂. The Army, following orders, "drove bulldozers through luxury houses built by wealthy Dominicans" within the Juan B. Pérez National Park.

“[Balaguer] added two submerged banks in the ocean to Dominican territory as humpback whale sanctuaries, protected land within [7m] of rivers and within [20m] of the coast, protected wetlands, signed the Rio convention on the environment, and banned hunting for 10 years. He put pressure on industries to treat their wastes, launched with limited success some efforts to control air pollution, and slapped a big tax on mining companies.”

₂₂

He continued in this manner until age 94, successfully using his influence, and legal strategies, to protect natural areas even when he was out of power. But in the decades after his campaigns, the environment of Dominica is increasingly abused. In 2000, forest protection switched from the military to the Ministry of the Environment, resulting in less effective protection. Marine habitats and coral reefs are being damaged and the Republic's waters are being overfished. Soil erosion on deforested land is causing problems with sediment buildup, toxic pollution and salination of over-exploited water reservoirs is damaging crop production, and more industries are simply dumping waste. Toxins, pesticides and insecticides that have been banned across the world are still in use in Dominica, and the government is unwilling to enact change because agriculture is profitable. Its culture is changing, modern materialism is causing its population "becoming dedicated to a consumerism that is not currently supported by the economy and resources of the Dominican Republic itself [and] putting out correspondingly large amounts of wastes [overwhelming] municipal waste disposal systems" ₂₃.

Compare the Dominican Republic to the Radically Different Environmental History of Haiti.

Averages by decade for the Dominican Rep. (for the ranks, lower is better):

Forest Area Change 2000-2020	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
the Dominican Rep.:	5.1%	3.4%
World Rank:	32nd	⇣  40th
World Avg:	0.6%	-0.7%

2.2. Environmental Performance

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Environmental Performance Higher is better4
Pos.		20184
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
43	Hungary	65.0
44	Belarus	65.0
45	Romania	64.8
46	Dominican Rep.	64.7
47	Uruguay	64.7
48	Estonia	64.3
49	Singapore	64.2
50	Poland	64.1
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

The Dominican Republic comes 46th in the world with regard to its environmental performance.

The Environmental Performance Index 2018 data includes 24 indicators including air pollution, water and sanitation, biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental health, combined into a single score by country, by the Yale University Center for Environmental Law & Policy.

“Dominican measures to protect the environment began from the bottom up, shifted to top-down control after 1930, and are now a mixture of both. [...] Soon after 1900 we encounter the first mentions of damage to forest in low-rainfall areas from harvesting wood for fuel, and of contamination of streams by agricultural activities.”

"Collapse" by Jared Diamond (2005)₂₁

2.3. Energy to GDP Efficiency

#energy #sustainability #the_environment

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better1
Pos.		2022 Avg1
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
28	Congo, (Brazzaville)	0.60
29	Bangladesh	0.61
30	Ireland	0.62
31	Dominican Rep.	0.63
32	Haiti	0.63
33	Denmark	0.65
34	Botswana	0.67
35	Hong Kong	0.67
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

Regarding energy to GDP efficiency, the Dominican Republic comes 31st in the world (the lowest in The Americas).

GDP per unit of energy consumption is often called 'Energy Intensity'. It's how efficient countries are at producing GDP in terms of primary energy use. It represents primary energy consumption using the substitution method, per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). A lower value means that less energy was used to maintain the country's GDP.

Averages by decade for the Dominican Rep. (for the ranks, lower is better):

Energy to GDP Efficiency	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
the Dominican Rep.:	1.26	1.26	1.17	0.73
World Rank:	70th	⇣  71st	71st	⇡  35th
World Avg:	2.10	2.15	1.60	1.30

2.4. International Accords on the Environment

#environmentalism #internationalism

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
122	Syria	54%
123	Namibia	54%
124	Algeria	54%
125	Dominican Rep.	54%
126	Tajikistan	54%
127	St Kitts & Nevis	54%
128	Dominica	54%
129	Barbados	54%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

The Dominican Republic ranks 125th in the world regarding its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

Each country is scored using a formula that takes the date each country took up major international environmental agreements, as a ratio of maximum possible days. The agreements covered are: (1) the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, (2) the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides, (3) the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, (4) the Waigani Convention (for those countries that are eligible), (5) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), (6) the Kyoto Protocol and (7) its successor, the Paris Agreement, (8) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), (9) the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and finally, (10) the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Averages by decade for the Dominican Rep. (for the ranks, lower is better):

International Accords on the Environment	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average	2020s  Average
the Dominican Rep.:	0%	9%	40%	80%	96%	100%
World Rank:	52nd	⇣  103rd	⇣  124th	⇡  96th	⇣  109th	⇡  1st
World Avg:	8.5%	23.3%	45.0%	74.4%	90.7%	95.0%

2.5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better3
Pos.		2011 %3
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
37	Central African Rep.	51.9%
38	Belize	50.6%
39	Burkina Faso	50.5%
40	Dominican Rep.	50.2%
41	Thailand	49.9%
42	Italy	49.6%
43	Vietnam	49.1%
44	Honduras	48.1%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

The Dominican Republic ranks 40th in the world regarding the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population.

2.6. Meat Consumption

#animal_rights #animal_welfare #diet #food #health #meat #veganism #vegetarianism

Meat Consumption Lower is better6
Pos.		2021 kg6
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
91	Albania	52.0
92	Kiribati	52.4
93	Vietnam	52.6
94	Dominican Rep.	53.5
95	Peru	54.0
96	Mauritius	54.2
97	Saudi Arabia	55.1
98	Zimbabwe	56.0
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

The Dominican Republic is 94th in the world when it comes to reducing annual meat consumption per person.

There are five key arguments in favour of vegetarianism which accrue even from partial adoption: (1) Vegetarian diets have notable health advantages over carnivorous diets, especially for heart and cardiovascular issues_24,25,26. (2) It is morally better to avoid killing or harming animals. (3) Plant-based diets use much less water than carnivorous ones, to the extent that agricultural and water management scientists urge governments to encourage people to switch₂₇. (4) Vegetarian food production uses substantially less land_24,28,29. And, (5) vegetarianism is better for the environment than meat-production for emissions, sewerage, pollution and chemicals usage._24,28. A plant-based diet causes 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than a typical carnivorous diet₂₉. The global food industry causes about 1/3 of all planet-heating emissions, and so "to slow the worst climate effects, the United Nations has called for a drastic reduction in meat consumption"₂₉. Despite this, "reducing appetites for carbon-intensive meat and dairy is incredibly hard"₃₀ and as countries get richer, they tend to eat more meat.

On average throughout the 2010s, the Dominican Rep.'s rate was 50.7.

2.7. Green Future Index

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Green Future Index Higher is better7
Pos.		2023 Score7
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
58	Ethiopia	4.0
59	Angola	4.0
60	Egypt	4.0
61	Dominican Rep.	4.0
62	Peru	4.0
63	Turkey	3.8
64	Cameroon	3.8
65	Ghana	3.8
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

The Dominican Republic ranks 16th-worst in the world in terms of its score on the Green Future Index (one of the lowest in The Americas).

The Green Futures Index (GFI) has been running since 2021, and looks at 23 data sets for over 70 countries, with a focus on effectiveness, policy and planning 'for a low carbon future. It is complementary to existing goals and frameworks for sustainable development'. Datasets include qualitative appraisals and quantitative measurements on carbon emissions across multiple sectors, renewable and nuclear energy, recycling capabilities, green technologies used in building and construction, transport, scientific and industrial green innovations and patent quantities, climate action and climate policies. Each country is then ranked by their final score.₃₁.