DR Environmental Cooperation with Cuba?

[Keith R]

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:

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.

For the full article, go to http://www.univision.com/contentroot...t/7000216.html

[Chirimoya]

El Nuevo Diario carries the same EFE (Spanish news agency) report and Dominican Today has the translated version.

[Chris]

I had a vague thought about reading something in the past, in terms of what Cuba has accomplished - on whatever basis. Then I came across this today. Interesting reading and yes, I can say the DR can learn much from the methods developed in Cuba.

PAGE ONE -- Cuba Turns to Mother Earth / With fertilizers and fuel scarce, organic farming is in

[Richard Edwards]

According to its government and press, Cuba's accomplishments in every field are far and great. Unfortunately, these accomplishments cannot always be verified by independent sources due to the often ignored fact that there is no freedom of, among others, speech, press and movement in the country. Accomplishment in Cuba with reference to energy consumption have been met by constant government implemented blackouts: if that is the case we can say the same in DR! Look at all the electricity we are saving in this country! Luckily, at least in DR we are free and able to express, for or against, whatever opinion or thoughts come to mind, with or without electricity!

[George Holmes]

The special period in Cuba led to a number of challenges to agriculture, and so cuba was forced to develop an environmental politics by accident. They are actually very good and effective at small scale organic farming, which a number of european academics have studies, so it is not just Cuban state stats. However, this is also the area of the cuban economy that is most liberalised (there is far more produce and far higher quality at the capitalist farmers markets I visited in Havana than in the state ration shops), so whether it is the capitalism or a good scientific management of this that has created this efficiency is up for debate.

However, if anyone can make a contribution to creating an environmental politics here in the DR (other than the small, volcal lobby that wants to create national parks everywhere) that would be most welcome.