What exactly does Puig hope to learn from Cuba? Yes, they do conserve energy, but that's because they
have no choice, they can't afford the oil imports.
The Cuban experience in "alternative energy"? Which???? They have not done much in wind or solar yet, nothing in geothermal, wave or OTEC, they do not yet have any greater capacity in ethanol or biodiesel than the DR, so what is it? Experience in burning bagasse from sugar production? Big deal.
How they deal with climate change??? Huh??? Well, given their lower degree of industrialization, their smaller transport fleet, etc., what can they tell Puig about how the DR can mitigate, adapt and address climate change that Puig didn't already know before he boarded the plane?
Yes,
they have increased forest cover on their island, but then they do not have the market economy and aggressive tourism expansion that the DR does, so how does the experience translate to the DR?
Yes, they reuse and recycle heavily, but that's because they
must, especially since spare parts and certain materials are scarce.
I don't know, doesn't seem to add up. I wonder how others see it. Is there any reporting on this in the DR media?
Excerpted as fair use:
Quote:
Cuba y R. Dominicana conversan sobre medio ambiente y ahorro de energía
02 de Abril de 2007, 05:31pm ET
La Habana, 2 abr (EFE).- El secretario de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de República Dominicana, Max Puig Millar, conversó hoy con autoridades cubanas sobre ahorro de energía y planes para reducir los efectos del cambio climático.
En una reunión con el ministro de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente de Cuba, Fernando González, y otros funcionarios del sector, Puig Millar manifestó su interés por las experiencias cubanas en el uso de fuentes renovables de energía y su programa de ahorro energético, según informaron medios locales.
Puig Millar calificó de "valiosas" la experiencias cubanas para la preservación del entorno y consideró que las iniciativas de la isla son de "suma utilidad".
"Estamos interesados en aprovecharlas al máximo", dijo.
El titular dominicano se mostró interesado en áreas relacionadas con la reducción de la contaminación, biodiversidad, reproducción de especies, manejo de cuencas hidrográficas y ahorro energético.
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For the full article, go to
http://www.univision.com/contentroot...t/7000216.html