Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Environmental talks under way (Updated)

Following up on a visit to Washington last month by Cuban environmental officials, the Environmental Defense Fund has a team in Cuba this week discussing marine conservation.

The EDF press release sees these talks as a sign that greater cooperation in environmental protection may be in store, and I hope that’s the case. Marine issues are the place to start, since our proximity and the prevailing currents make it so that our two countries effectively live in the same marine environment.

According to EDF, the talks will cover “ways to eliminate overfishing, protect coral reefs, conserve coastal areas, and tap potential ocean energy.” Not to be alarmist, but there’s another issue that could be added to the agenda: emergency preparedness. If you look at a map and examine the currents, the effects of an oil spill in the waters off Cuba’s northwest coast would become a Florida problem in a matter of days. That issue should be discussed if, as they should, the two governments someday initiate talks on environmental protection.

[Update: Reuters reports from Havana that the meeting of U.S., Cuban, and Mexican marine scientists are planning joint Gulf of Mexico research projects.]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

On Planet Phil Peters, “ways to eliminate overfishing, protect coral reefs, conserve coastal areas, and tap potential ocean energy” are important matters for the Cuban people.

Anonymous said...

the largest amounts of protected coral reefs in the caribbean are in cuba; once again these fricking idiots just don't have clue what they are talking about; they are only capable of spewing negativity. go cash your CANF check and get some good chispa de tren. you are the epitome of a useful idiot. ok, not so useful

and you wonder why moderation is so hard to come by when rationality has to deal with fantasy