November 18, 2014 — To mark the 60th anniversary of their grandfather's Nobel prize, John Hemingway and his brother Patrick recently traveled to Cuba to push for closer environmental cooperation between the United States and Cuba.
Environmentalists want an end to the US embargo in order to allow scientists and non-governmental organizations on both sides of the Florida Straits to work together to improve marine conservation.
Dan Whittle, of the Environmental Defense Fund and Jorge Angulo Valdes of the University of Havana's Center for Marine Research were to join Hemingway in meetings at the White House, State Department and Congress to highlight the issue.
Whittle said President Barack Obama could restore diplomatic relations "immediately" if he chose to wield his executive authority.
"We need to began to build the bridge, and the time is right," Whittle said.