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Loading ...Time for a New Biodiesel Policy in Brazil?
Friday, July 17th, 2009Luiz Prado says it’s time for Brazil to adopt a “serious” national policy on biodiesel. I think he has a point. Brazil has had a biodiesel policy — er, make that a biodiesel program — since 2003. It has a number of elements, but the lynchpins are a blending mandate (currently set at B4), and […]
Disappearing Mangroves in Guatemala
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009I read an interesting article from Tierramérica about Guatemala’s disappearing mangroves and a discussion of probable causes and possible impacts. I’ve mentioned here before on The Temas Blog about the importance of mangroves (here, here, here, here and here) in preventing sediment runoff and filtering out contaminants before they enter the sea, stabilizing coastlines, impeding […]
Wal-Mart Brasil Provides Discounts for Not Using Plastic Bags
Saturday, November 29th, 2008Wal-Mart Brasil is pursuing an interesting strategy to achieve its announced target of a 50% reduction in plastic bag use in its 340 stores by 2013. It just launched a campaign in its nine Bompreço stores in the northeastern capitals of Recife, Pernambuco and Salvador, Bahia, whereby it gives an automatic discount to customers that […]
The Outlook for Biodiesel in Central America
Sunday, October 14th, 2007The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL) recently released a report* it commissioned from a consultant that evaluates the prospects for biodiesel development in Central America generally, and individually in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. All four nations have expressed strong interest in replacing imported fossil fuels with locally […]
ECLAC/FAO: Bioenergy Poses Both Risks and Opportunities / CEPAL/FAO: Bioenergía Ofrece Oportunidades y Riesgos
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC, known in Spanish as CEPAL) have just released a joint “study” (actually more of a short analysis with recommendations) on the potential impacts of bioenergy production on food security for consideration by the FAO’s Committee […]
LAC Use of Biotech Crops Grew in 2006
Saturday, January 20th, 2007The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) just released its annual “brief” on growth of genetically engineered crops (“biotech crops”) worldwide, covering 2006. While the full report must be purchased, the executive summary is quite detailed and is available for download in several languages, including English, Spanish and Portuguese. Among other things, […]