Cuba continues to wait for the effects of the BP oil spill in the Gulf to reach its shores—to foul the pristine clear waters that attract tourists and scientists to the island and are the pride of locals. The island, which remains largely untouched by the environmental ills of modernity, has such clean waters that scientists use them to study of the way oceans were decades ago in other parts of the world, where rampant development and overfishing have by now depleted sea resources.
The spill has thus far remained at a considerable distance from Cuba, but analysis of Gulf currents shows that they could feasibly carry oil to the Northwest shores of Cuba. And since BP’s latest attempt to stem the leak have failed (the “top kill” tactic, which seemed the best option, has now been abandoned for a final hope strategy), it is unclear how long this spill will continue and how far it will ultimately spread. In an odd preliminary scare, Cuban beaches closed briefly this week after a rumor that the spill was pushing all Gulf sharks and lionfish into Cuban waters.
And so the issue becomes ever more salient: US-Cuba environmental cooperation is critical for oil exploration in the Gulf moving forward. A Brookings Institution report written this month by Jorge Piñon and Robert Muse (“Coping with the Next Oil Spill: Why US-Cuba Environmental Cooperation is Critical“) hammers it home.
“In addition to Spain’s Repsol, over the next few years international oil companies such as Norway’s Statoil-Hydro, Brazil’s Petrobras and others will be conducting exploratory work off Cuba’s north coast. It is only a matter of time before production begins in earnest and the environmental risks rise exponentially… To respond effectively to an oil-related marine accident, any company operating in or near Cuban territorial waters will require immediate access to the expertise and equipment of US oil companies and their suppliers.”
Indeed, Spain’s Repsol intends to begin work this fall, if possible, with an Italian-owned drilling rig that is being built by China—and these big foreign stakeholders are at a great distance from the site, should anything occur. The United States has a bigger stake than they in monitoring the drilling and cooperating should any problems arise.