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Finding Common Ground on Environmental and Safety Preparedness for Offshore Oil and Gas in Cuba  

President Obama’s decision to resume diplomatic relations with Cuba opens up a new level of collaboration and exchange with the Cuban partners that Environmental Defense Fund has cultivated for more than 13 years – while reminding us that the island’s much-needed economic development may also bring new environmental challenges. 

With relations between the United States and Cuba continuing to improve, we knew it was just a matter of time before this new political reality would trickle down to the ocean floor. 

As leaders of US non-profit organizations and academic institutions at the intersection ofscience and society, we look forward to working with you and your administration. Our purpose is to ask that in the first 100 days of your administration you resume diplomatic dialogue on environmental matters with the government of Cuba and reverse current administration policies and regulations that have restricted scientific and professional exchange between Americans and Cubans.

This publication is the product of the wisdom, research, field work, and commitment ofa highly diverse group of environmentalists from Cuba and the United States, many ofwhom have been working together for over two decades.

The shallow, nearshore and intertidal areas of tropical regions across the globe harbor some of the most productive and diverse, but also most heavily impacted, marine ecosystems in the world (Wilkinson 2008; De’ath et al. 2012). By virtue of their proximity, coral reefs are inextricably linked to mangrove forests and seagrass beds, in terms of both facing common threats and supporting common species

Currently there is a strong interest in Cuba in improving the performance of the fisheries sector with respect to social, biological, and economic outcomes. Many important fishery resources appear to be overexploited, and previous fishery regulations have had mixed success in restoring fishery stocks. 

A slow rate of economic developmentand a national commitment to sustainable developmenthas enabled Cuba to maintain some of the best preservedmarine ecosystems in the Caribbean region.

Coastal areas of Cuba harbor richbiodiversity that provide a variety of important ecosystemservices, including fisheries production. High-valueinvertebrate fisheries in Cuba are managed on the basis ofscientific assessments, but comparable data and analysesare lacking for the much larger number of exploited finfishspecies.

Sustainable livelihoods inCuba’s coastal zones:The challenge of achieving climateresilience in tourism, energy, fisheries,agriculture, and communities

Medios de vida sostenibles en las zonascosteras cubanas: el desafío de lograr laresiliencia climática en turismo, energía,pesca, agricultura y comunidades

The challenge is clear: if tropical deforestation were a country, it would rank fourth, only behind China, the US, and India in emissions. However, the solution is even clearer: these same forests can provide 23% of the cost-effective climate mitigation needed before 2030, if the right economic incentives are in place.[1] Despite numerous pledges, forest …

There is disagreement about the potential for regenerative management practices to sequester sufficient soil organic carbon (SOC) to help mitigate climate change. Measuring change in SOC stocks following practice adoption at the grain of farm fields, within the extent of regional agriculture, could help resolve this disagreement

The impacts from climate change will continue to escalate in the years ahead, and a growing number of scientists, philanthropies and companies have become interested in strategies to lower global temperatures more quickly. One of the options is reflecting some sunlight back into space.   Because the consequences of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), as it’s called,

The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) created, for the first time and on an unprecedented scale, a mandate to change how groundwater is managed statewide in California. While enacting SGMA was a tremendous step forward, communities and water districts now face the considerable challenge of creating successful groundwater management programs.

This spring, we made history together with a Discovery Channel film crew and a group of divers and scientists, 50 miles off Cuba’s south coast.

Cuba’s historic National Plan of Action to conserve and sustain vulnerable sharks – crafted in collaboration with Environmental Defense Fund and the first such plan developed by a Caribbean island – is a breakthrough.

Plan de Acción Nacional de Conservación y Manejo de Condrictios de la República de Cuba 

National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Chondrichthyes in the Republic of Cuba

In EDF’s new guide for food companies engaging their farmers on dairy methane solutions, we walk through how to get started with new manure management systems.

This EDF discussion brief sets out the shipping regulatory landscape and the evolution of shipping finance, identifying key barriers to financing the decarbonisation of shipping and aiming to stimulate dialogue among industry professionals, banks, and policymakers on potential solutions.

This guide from EDF and The Climate Source is meant for food and agriculture companies to share with their suppliers and support them in making the transition to climate-smart agriculture by creating awareness about relevant solutions and potential ways to fund them.

Analysis from EDF reveals how Jurisdictional REDD+ carbon credits are set to increase in price by 2028. The report is powered by data from MSCI Carbon Markets, and is intended to empower forest nations with insights to more equitably negotiate JREDD+ contracts with buyers.

EDF factsheet summarizes how the principles of complementarity can help guide climate funds toward a more unified and impactful approach. Implementing concrete actions, like planning and programming, capacity building and readiness, and delivering resources at scale, will help funds streamline approaches towards climate and biodiversity goals and enhance the efficiency and impact of the resources deployed.

To better understand the disproportionate burden associated with warehouses and other major truck-attracting facilities in New Jersey, Environmental Defense Fund deployed a peer-reviewed framework called Proximity Mapping, which helps identify communities living close to facilities of concern.