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Loading ...Thermal Power Plants Will Have to Compensate for Carbon Emissions
Friday, March 20th, 2009Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc says he will sign in April an administrative rule (portaria) that will require all thermo-electric power plants (burning petroleum or coal) seeking environmental licenses from the national environment agency, IBAMA, to provide for compensation (abatement) measures for their carbon emissions before they will be granted a license. The portaria will […]
Brazil’s Light for All Program Promotes Renewable Energy
Friday, February 27th, 2009A six-year old program to bring electricity to all Brazil’s citizens has concluded that solar, wind or mini-hydro power, or in some cases power generated by natural gas, may be the most practical solution to bring power to remote places in the Amazon or the Pantanal. To encourage the use of alternative forms of energy, […]
Generating Power from Sewage Treatment Stations
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The idea has been around awhile among industry experts: find a way to capture the methane normally released from sewage treatment plants, and utilize it to generate power while cutting or eliminating the plant’s releases of a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) — and perhaps get carbon credits for doing so. But the Sanitation Company of […]
The Largest Solar Water Heater Made With PET Bottles?
Saturday, August 9th, 2008One of the most popular posts here on The Temas Blog was the one introducing the solar water heater made of used PET bottles and aseptic cartons (mostly Tetra-brik) promoted by Paraná’s (PR) Zero Waste (Desperdício Zero) Program. Not far behind in popularity has been the follow-up post about how the Program is spreading the […]
IDB Supports Wind Turbine Blade Factory in Brazil / BID Ajuda a expansão de fábrica de pás para turbinas eólicas no Brasil
Friday, August 8th, 2008From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): IDB finances expansion of wind turbine blades factory in Brazil TECSIS secured US$120 million in loans Tecnologia e Sistemas Avancados Ltda (TECSIS), a leading Brazilian manufacturer of wind rotor blades for wind power turbines is to obtain US$120 million in loans from the Inter-American Development Bank to restructure its […]
Amazonas “Visionary” on Climate Change?
Friday, September 7th, 2007In June Amazonas became the first Brazilian state to adopt a state law on climate change, together with one creating a State System of Conservation Units (UCs). The laws were widely praised by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working on environment and conservation issues. A Greenpeace spokesman even declared them to be “almost visionary, but perfectly capable […]
More Leadership by Example
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007Last weekend I read a column by Clarence E. Pilgrim in the Antigua Sun [yes, I read online news from around LAC everyday, just usually do not have the time to convey or comment on what I gather] that gave me further hope that more and more Caribbean opinion-makers understand the environmental challenges facing their […]
An IDB-Sponsored “Blueprint for Green Energy in the Americas”
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007At the briefing on the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) biofuel investment plans for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the Bank finally released the study it commissioned from consultant Garten Rothkopf on biofuels entitled “A Blueprint for Green Energy in the Americas.” To download the various portions of the study, follow this link. I confess […]
Implications of the Stern Review for LAC, Part II
Monday, January 1st, 2007In Part I, I looked at the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) of the main body of analysis, discussion and policy recommendations in the Stern Review. Here in Part II, I look at the LAC-focused report commissioned by Stern as an input to the overall Review. Implications from the Back-up Report on […]