Bermuda will be affected by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico even if the slick never reaches our shores.

So believes Sustainable Development Roundtable (SDRT) chairman Arthur Hodgson who, yesterday warned Bermuda to be prepared for the fallout.

"I can't see how it's not going to affect the Island," he said. "Even though the likelihood of the oil itself reaching the Island seems to be quite low, there are other ways the spill could affect the Island.

"Bermuda has a significant interest in any major disaster because of the size of the insurance industry here."

The spill is the result of an explosion on an offshore oil rig off the coast of Louisiana in April. Millions of gallons of oil have since been dumped into the Gulf of Mexico.

Repeated attempts to stem the flow have failed, and while a cap is now capturing some of the leak, the resulting oil slick stretches several hundred square miles.

Some simulations have suggested that the oil would reach the Atlantic. Experts maintain that if the oil does reach the Island, it will be as tar balls.

"It's a long way away from us, but one just doesn't know what's going to happen because this is such a big spill," said Mr. Hodgson.

No matter what happens, it's important that Bermuda learns from the spill, he added.

"The implications are something we really shouldn't panic about, but we should have it on our radar in case we have one closer to home," he said.

"One of my first jobs when I was Minister for the Environment was an oil spill. It wasn't a major one, but they do happen."

The SDRT is to hold a public discussion at the BUEI at 7 p.m. next Tuesday so residents can voice their thoughts on the issue.

The meeting will be attended by Environmental Protection director Fred Ming, Tourism director William Griffith, Gerry Plumley of BIOS and insurance industry representatives.

Mr. Hodgson said any points brought up during the meeting will be reviewed by the SDRT. The group is to put forward any findings to Premier Ewart Brown.

"We hope that people will show up and share their ideas," Mr. Hodgson said. "The idea is that we can hopefully identify any problems and prevent any negative consequences."

He said the leak itself demonstrated the need for a focus on sustainability. "You can see some people saying that the whole BP spill was caused because they were focused on the money," he said. "That's become a common accusation.

"Sometimes companies want to expand economically, but they don't think about the social or long-term environmental impact."

Mr. Hodgson said the subject of sustainability stretched far beyond environmental issues, to social and economic issues. In keeping with that he said the SDRT has already identified its next focus.

"We're just now doing something on families. We're taking a look at family structures," he said.

"Security is, of course, the big issue of the moment, and we will be looking at that specifically when we can, but we will be looking at a part of it through the issue of the Bermudian family.

"We have certainly heard, for example, the idea that people are turning to gangs as a substitute for the family unit."