Gulf oil spill takes center stage at FIU teach-in


FIU experts discussed various issues surrounding the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico during a teach-in Saturday at the Biscayne Bay Campus Wolfe University Center Ballroom.

More than 90 people attended Saturday’s teach-in to learn more about the oil spill’s potential implications for South Florida. FIU Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Douglas Wartzok said FIU is leveraging the depth of expertise within its faculty to educate the community about the oil spill and assist in the response.

“We have a lot of expertise, from oceanography to social and economic aspects,” he said. “It was very easy to pull together a number of experts and we have many more working on various aspects of a potential spill response.”

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill began April 20 after an oil well blowout, which caused an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil platform 40 miles southeast of the Louisiana. Scientists and energy experts throughout the United States are mobilizing to take action because the oil spill could cause long-term environmental and economic harm to the Gulf Coast region. It also could have significant implications for United States energy policy.

Panelists at the teach-in included Michael Heithaus, director of the School of Environment and Society; John Proni, executive director of the Applied Research Center; James Fourqurean, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Piero Gardinali, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Edward Glab, clinical professor in the Department of Management and International Business and co-founder of the Energy Business Forum at FIU; and Grenville Draper, professor of geology in the Department of Earth and Environment.

Fourqurean, who studies the susceptibility of costal marine ecosystems in South Florida, said it is not certain whether the oil spill will reach Florida’s shores, but if it does it could have an environmental and economic impact. Mangroves, coral reefs and animals living in seagrass beds all could be affected by the oil, he said.

“The economy of South Florida is tied to the health of our environment,” Fourqurean said.

Edward Glab, co-director of FIU’s Global Energy Security Forum, said more government intervention is likely in the wake of the BP oil spill.

He said a ban of offshore oil drilling is unlikely, but the spill could serve as an opportunity for Congress to develop a policy to accelerate the development of alternative energy sources. Demand for fossil fuels will continue to increase over the next several decades, he said, particularly from developing countries.

Glab, who worked for Exxon-Mobil for more than 25 years, including during the time of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, said a tax on carbon-based energy businesses could lead to the development of alternative energy choices.

“If you’re really serious about climate change and global warming you put a tax in place,” he said. “Government doesn’t have to pick the winner. All the government has to do is set the playing field … Politically, is that possible? I’m a political scientist and I say probably not.”

The FIU teach-in, reminiscent of when teach-ins were used in the 1960s to provoke action on behalf of civil rights, is part of FIU’s commitment to global engagement. The university also has hosted two recent teach-ins on the earthquake in Haiti and recovery efforts.