State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit Kicks off Sunday
HOUSTON, Texas — As the Gulf of Mexico moves forward from one of history’s greatest environmental disasters, the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill, the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is bringing together international Gulf leaders on March 26-28 to look to its future for its fourth State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit in Houston, Texas.
Over the next 15 years, the Gulf of Mexico will be the focal point for one of the largest restoration efforts ever conceived. More than $20 billion in restoration funding from the spill fines will provide an unparalleled opportunity to effect positive change on a Gulf-wide scale. But to move forward effectively, we must move forward together. The State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit brings leaders from research, government and industry from all three Gulf nations — the U.S., Cuba, and Mexico — together to discuss and strategize science-driven solutionsTM for the Gulf’s problems.
The Summit panel discussions will take an interdisciplinary approach to Gulf of Mexico health and conservation, and features speakers on economics, human health, policy and science.
Featured speakers include Dr. Rita Colwell, Chair of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Research Board; Dr. Richard Feinberg, Professor of International Political Economy at the Graduate School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego; Dr. Porfirio Alvarez, Secretary General of the Consorcio de Instituciones de Investigación Marina del Gulfo de México y del Caribe (CiiMAR-GoMC); and Dr. Christopher D’Elia, Dean of Louisiana State University’s College of the Coast and Environment and Chair of the Gulf of Mexico University Research Collaborative (GOMURC).
Other Summit panel topics include exploring the links between human and ecosystem health; communicating science; improving restoration effectiveness through science-based monitoring; linking science, policy and action; and a discussion of how the Gulf will move forward over the next 15 years. Two additional Gulf-themed meetings will convene immediately following the State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit on March 29-30: the Gulf of Mexico Alliance All-Hands Meeting and the Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research.
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a partnership network led by the five Gulf States with a mission to collaboratively enhance the ecological and economic health of the region. Partners address six priority issues: Water Resources, Habitat Resources, Community Resilience, Data & Monitoring, Wildlife & Fisheries, and Education & Engagement. All Hands is the group’s annual working meeting, and participants will make progress on prioritized objectives from the “Governors' Action Plan III.” Each of the six Teams and three additional initiatives have agendas posted on the Alliance’s website.
The Workshop on International Research is an invitation-only gathering of over 150 researchers from the U.S., Mexico and Cuba organized by HRI, The National Academy of Sciences, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This diverse group of stakeholders will meet to identify knowledge gaps in marine ecosystem science from coastal communities to the deep ocean; prioritize relevant research needs across disciplines; and establish working relationships between international partners.
For more information on the State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit visit the website.