Cuba an ecological jewel

I attended an event Friday morning at the Brookings Institution, entitled Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation.

Brookings is not known for being the most progressive policy think-tank in D.C., however they do coordinate a number of events and research studies related to U.S.-Cuba policy. I found this last event to be heavy on economic figures or (lack) of figures at that, as Juan A.B. Belt, director at Chemonics International, explained how difficult it was to get oil production or business data from the Cubans when doing his own studies.

Jorge Piñon, who has done a number of related panels at other think-tanks recently (especially post-Gulf oil disaster), adds an expert “oil industry” perspective as he previously worked for 32 years in the energy sector at Shell Oil Co., and to quote him, “Oil is inherently a high risk enterprise” …”therefore we must be conscious and act responsibly having protocols in place and general licensing from OFAC for equipment, technology, and experts needed for emergency relief and clean up efforts.”

Honestly, I don’t find the oil industry aspects much of my interests (and more to my dislike) but the room was filled with probably a number anxious for drilling businessmen, among the State Department and think-tank types. On different levels, we are all there to think through future of U.S.-Cuba cooperation, and some are curious and ready to dive into the economic, business, and investment landscape and are even more eager as China and Venezuela are advancing.

What caught my interest was the presentation by Daniel Whittle, senior attorney and director of the Cuba program with the Environmental Defense Fund. In a Post Katrina world along with the recent oil disaster in Gulf waters (shared between the two countries), I wonder to what extent these environmental disasters have encouraged or even forced the two countries into bilateral and multilateral discussions, policy making, and management.

Cuba is an ecological jewel with her coral reefs and marine life, Whittle noted, adding, “energy development is a door opener between Cuba and the U.S. for cooperation. And that there is a energy revolution taking place in Cuba, to be more efficient, to use wind, solar, bio fuel, geothermal, and ocean energy…”

I am not a scientist but what I did gather from this aspect of the panel, as an advocate for pro-mother earth climate change policy and from the Washington view sight, that “if framed in environmental and economic terms/interests” we can push for what Whittle said were next steps:

1) Scientific exchanges, as the State Department just recently issued visas to 17 Cuban scientists for an official visit in South Florida.

2) Support multilateral agreements (Cuba/Mexico/U.S.) for marine preservation and conservation.

3) Support bilateral agreements between Cuban and U.S. Coast guards to deal with oil spills

4) Push for a region-wide environmental assessment.

5) Support Cuba’s green energy revolution.

I don’t need to remind folks we breathe the same air and swim in the same ocean waters as our neighbors in Cuba.

Further recommendations are outlined in Coping with the Next Oil Spill: Why U.S.-Cuba Environmental Cooperation is Critical.

Angelica