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« Previous EntriesIDB Backs Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative / BID respalda Iniciativa para la Transparencia en las Industrias Extractivas / BID endossa Iniciativa pela Transparência nas Indústrias Extrativistas
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): IDB Backs Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative The Inter-American Development Bank has endorsed the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which encourages governments and companies to disclose revenues and payments generated by oil, gas, and mining industries. The endorsement was approved today by the IDB’s Board of Executive Directors. EITI is […]
An Illustration of the Mining Dilemma in Colombia
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009I just read a good article in Tierramérica that illustrates well, I think, the current split in Colombia over mining, particularly mining that affects protected areas. They examine the controversy over AngloGold Ashanti‘s gold exploration activities in the municipality of Cajamarca, in Tolima Department*, in the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) and the Central Forest […]
LAC Projects Receive 2009 SEED Award
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009This year’s recipients of the SEED Awards were announced yesterday by the SEED Initiative at a reception linked to this year’s session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), and several of the recipients were from Latin America. What is the SEED Award and who is the SEED Initiative? you ask. The Initiative was […]
Protecting Andean High Plateaus from Mining
Friday, March 13th, 2009Should mining be banned from, or severely restricted in, the Andean high plateaus? Most national environment agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), scientists and academic experts in the Andean Community (CAN) nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) seem to think so. They argue that without strong restrictions and supervision, mining in the highlands may seriously harm the role the plateaus play […]
Colombia: Mining, Yes, But Not in National Parks
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009“Mining in Colombia, yes, but not in national parks,” insists Colombia’s Environment Minister Juan Lozano Ramírez. “Mining in Colombia, yes, but environmentally responsible. Mining in Colombia, yes, but not that they rob everything of value and leave us with deserts and zones of erosion.” He announced a total prohibition on all granting of mining licenses […]
Finally, a Chance for a Global Mercury Accord / Por fin, un chance para un acuerdo global sobre el mercurio
Saturday, February 21st, 2009When the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Governing Council (GC) considered and agreed on the draft decision on chemicals management, including mercury, this past Thursday, I was in the room. It’s difficult to say which emotion filled the conference room more — joy or excitement. There was plenty of both. This decision had been many years […]
Peru Opens Public Consultations on Draft National Environment Policy / Peru pone en consulta pública borrador de política nacional del ambiente
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009Peru’s Environment Ministry (Minam) is circulating for public comment its proposal for a National Environment Policy. Interested parties can submit comments and suggestions through a web-based form. Minam will also be holding consultative workshops on the draft Policy in Lima and four regions. The draft Policy is clear and concise, with a set of overarching […]
Debating the Costs/Benefits of Mining in Central America
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009Oxfam has released a report, Metals Mining and Sustainable Development in Central America: An Assessment of Benefits and Costs, that looks at the current debate surrounding mining in Central America and the need for informed public discussion over its potential costs and benefits. Despite its title, the report only covers mining projects in El Salvador, […]
Making Argentine Mining Sustainable
Sunday, February 1st, 2009Argentina’s Secretary of Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development (SAyDS), Homero Bibiloni, recently met with the Mining Secretary, Jorge Mayoral, to discuss joint efforts to make mining in that country more environmentally sustainable. As well they should: in recent months the environmental reputation of the nation’s mining sector has taken a pounding. Recently the provinces of […]
Closer US-Brazilian Energy Cooperation
Saturday, September 20th, 2008Last month the US Secretary of Energy and Brazil’s Energy Minister met and agreed to intensify cooperation between the two nations on energy-related technology and policy issues. I haven’t seen much about this in the regular press, so I thought I’d briefly flag it here. The two parties agreed “to focus on key areas of […]