Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – CHILE: Environmental Delays Raise Electricity Costs, Says Gov’t

The Chilean government claims that delays in the installation of power lines due to legal proceedings and obstacles to the issuing of environmental permits will keep electricity prices high until at least 2016.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Livestock Raising Adapted to Climate Change

A change in forage crops and the search for new sources of water are among the climate change adaptation measures implemented as part of an initiative undertaken by eight cattle farming cooperatives in Camagüey, 534 km from the Cuban capital.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: More Research Needed on Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity

Only six percent of research on climate change and biodiversity conducted worldwide since 1990 addresses the impacts of these changes on biodiversity in Brazil, according to a literature review carried out by the Boticário Group Foundation.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: First Eco-Municipality

Rómulo Gallegos, a municipality in the southwestern plains of Venezuela where cattle ranching is an economic mainstay, has become the first of the country’s 333 municipalities to adopt legislation on ecologically oriented land management.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: CO2 Emissions from Amazon Construction Timber Calculated

Every cubic meter of wood extracted from the Amazon and prepared for use in construction releases between 6.5 and 24.9 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), from the time the trees are cut down until their final transportation to the market in the former of boards, panels and other timber products.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Insufficient Protection Against Chemical and Nuclear Accidents

Environmental organizations are carefully monitoring the consequences of a toxic cloud that spread over downtown Buenos Aires on Dec. 6, and have warned of a lack of preparation to deal with a major chemical disaster.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Environmentalists Will Manage Protected Areas

Beginning in 2013, seven protected areas in Honduras will be managed by seven environmental organizations, who will be officially responsible for their protection.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Resources Demanded to Confront Climate Change

Environmental organizations are calling for an adequate budget for the mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its impacts.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Researchers Preserve Genes of Threatened Amazon Monkeys

Researchers at the Federal University of Pará in Brazil are collecting and storing genetic material from monkeys in the genus Saimiri, commonly known as squirrel monkeys, to prevent the extinction of a sub-species endemic to the Amazon rainforest.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: In Search of Greater Transparency in the Extractive Industries

The World Bank will be advising Honduras on the requirements to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Ecobreves – CHILE: Approval of Thermoelectric Plant Sparks Protest

Environmental organizations in Chile have expressed outrage over the ministerial approval granted for the construction of the Punta Alcalde thermoelectric power plant in the municipality of Huasco, 645 km north of Santiago.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Government of the Capital Wins Award for Urban Lighting Project

The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) has granted a special recognition award to the “Energy, Innovation and Performance in Urban Lighting” project being implemented by the leftist government of Mexico City.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Selective Waste Collection Available to Very Few

According to a survey conducted by the Brazilian Water Program, 64 percent of Brazilians still do not have access to selective waste collection as a means of recycling.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Municipalities Confront Climate Change

Some 45 municipalities in the so-called dry corridor of Honduras have begun work on a project to promote reforestation, food security and climate change resilience in order to improve living conditions for their communities.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Stepping Up Resistance to Mega Mining

Residents of the southern province of Chubut, in the Patagonia region of Argentina, are fighting a proposed legal reform that would allow large-scale open-pit mining, involving the use of toxic substances, in this area.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: São Paulo Solar Plant Will Supply Electricity to Public Grid

The University of São Paulo will construct a photovoltaic power plant, in association with a local electric company, which will be the third solar power plant and the second to supply electricity to the public grid in Brazil.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Women Farmers Producing Better Grains

Women farmers in seven departments of Honduras are working towards higher-quality, environmentally friendly agricultural production to gain better access to markets and fairer prices.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Nuclear Technology for More Resistant Crops

Agricultural researchers in Cuba are using radiation in an attempt to develop banana, rice, avocado and tomato strains that are more resistant to drought and salinity, as part of a Latin American cooperation project.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Cracks in Ralco Hydro Dam Raise Concern

The Aukin Wallmapu indigenous community in Alto Bíobío, 500 kilometers south of Santiago, has denounced the presence of cracks and leaks in the Ralco hydroelectric dam.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Scientists Call for Preservation of Forest Remnant

Researchers at Venezuela’s University of the Andes are urging the government to adopt a management plan for the 7,000 hectares of the Caparo Experimental Station, the remnant of what was a forest covering millions of hectares in the country’s western lowlands less than a century ago.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Waste Management Training for Market Vendors

Young volunteers from the Vida Foundation of Honduras have launched a six-month campaign to raise awareness among street market vendors in Tegucigalpa of the importance of proper waste management and recycling.

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