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Loading ...Prospects for Jatropha-based Biodiesel in LAC
Saturday, September 26th, 2009From the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA): Jatropha touted as “one of the best alternatives” for biodiesel production in the Americas Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica discussed the generation of fuels from Jatropha curcas, also known as physic nut or piñoncillo. According to Jamil Macedo, coordinator of a hemispheric agroenergy network, “Despite its […]
Chile to Ratify the London Dumping Protocol
Friday, September 18th, 2009President Bachelet has sent the 1996 Protocol to the London Convention on Dumping to the Chilean Congress for ratification, and initial indications are that both houses view ratification favorably. If they do so, it will change Chilean law on disposing of wastes at sea and make Chile only the sixth Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) […]
Supreme Court: Comprehensive Clean Up of the River Plate, Not Piecemeal
Friday, July 31st, 2009Argentina’s Supreme Court, in a case initiated in 2003 by the Municipality of Berazategui against Aguas Argentinas SA (now known as Aguas y Saneamientos Argentinos SA – AySA) and the national government, has annulled an injunction issued by the Federal Appeals Court of La Plata ordering the construction — within eighteen months — of a […]
Linking the Pharmacopeias of Argentina and Brazil
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Brazil’s National Sanitary Vigilance Agency (Anvisa) today issued a regulation (Resolution RDC 37) permitting reference chemical substances certified by either the Argentine Pharmacopeia or the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Pharmacopeia to be used for evaluating the quality of pharmaceutical raw materials (active ingredients and excipients) and medicines produced in Brazil. Anvisa already allowed that, […]
MERCOSUR Tackles Tobacco Advertising
Saturday, June 20th, 2009At their Ministerial concluded today, the Health Ministers of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) nations (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, plus Venezuela once Brazil and Paraguay ratify the Protocol of Adhesion regarding its membership) plus MERCOSUR associate member Chile reached an agreement [MERCOSUR/RMS/Acuerdo No. 01/09] committing themselves to cooperating toward the elimination of […]
The Largest Basin Clean-up Loan in Latin America
Thursday, June 11th, 2009From the World Bank: World Bank: Approves Largest Sanitation Operation in Latin America for US$840 Million to Clean the Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin in Argentina The Board of Directors of the World Bank today approved a loan for US$840 million in support of the Matanza-Riachuelo Basin Sustainable Development project. The loan will support the government’s Integrated […]
Argentina Sets Minimum Efficiency Levels for Refrigerators
Sunday, May 24th, 2009Argentina is one of the few Latin American nations (along with Brazil and Mexico) which has long (since 1999) had a mandatory energy efficiency labeling program for lighting and certain household appliances (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers, water heaters). Even so, to date the mandatory labels have only been issued for refrigerators, […]
Buenos Aires Begins Eco-Certifying Lodging
Monday, May 18th, 2009The program of Buenos Aires Province launched earlier this year to formally recognize “sustainable touristic lodging” is finally getting into full swing. The provincial environment authority, OPDS, just announced the award of the first 21 certifications to lodgings in the Sierra de la Ventana (“Window Mountains”) area of Torquinst. The program judges lodging in touristic […]
The Status of Global Renewables
Saturday, May 16th, 2009The Vienna, Austria-based Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) has just released its latest review of the global state of adoption of renewable energy sources — solar (both photovoltaics and passive systems, such as solar water heaters), wind, geothermal, wave, biofuels and small hydro (REN21 excludes large hydropower projects from its review). […]
Jagdeo: Let Us Be the Model
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009President Jagdeo Addresses the CSD High-Level Segment – photo courtesy Earth Negotiations Bulletin The High-Level Segment of the 17th Session of United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-17) opened today with a series of speeches in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) hall. Despite its moniker, most of those speaking at the High-Level Segment only had […]