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Loading ...CO2 Emissions Increase from Brazilian Industry and Transport
Thursday, August 27th, 2009The Environment Ministry (MMA) is considering further measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from industry and the energy sector. Estimates released today by Environment Minister Carlos Minc shows that industry and power generation and consumption are increasing their share of Brazil’s total GHG emissions. The new estimates suggest that Brazil is moving towards an […]
Brazil Creates 22 New National Research Institutes
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009Brazil’s National Council for the Development of Science and Technology (CNPq) just announced the creation of 22 new National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs), bringing the number of such national institutes to 123, with total financial resources for R&D of R$581 million. Nine of the new INCTs will go to São Paulo (SP), four […]
Mexico Plans to Cut 12 Mil. mT of Methane Emissions Per Year
Thursday, January 29th, 2009During the just-concluded 2009 meeting of the international partners of the US’ “Methane to Markets” Partnership Program (MSM) in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico’s Environment Minister, Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, declared that his country has identified 42 methane mitigation projects that should reduce Mexico’s CH4 emissions by 12 million metric tons (mT) carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) […]
IBAMA Sets Record for Environmental Licensing
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009Brazil’s environment agency, IBAMA, has announced that it set a new record for issuing environmental licenses during 2008. IBAMA is not in charge of all environmental licensing in Brazil: much of that is done by state and local environment bodies. IBAMA issued 467 licenses in 2008, almost a 27% increase over licenses granted in 2007 […]
Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Valley of Mexico
Monday, September 22nd, 2008Earlier this year the City of Mexico released an inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2006 in the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico (Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México – ZMVM) to accompany its new plan of action on climate change (something I’ll cover separately in a forthcoming blog entry). I found […]
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 […]
Update: Mapping Brazil’s Basins to Prepare Against Oil Spills
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008Over a year ago I had a post here about the efforts of Brazil’s Environment Ministry (MMA) to prepare comprehensive atlases of the Brazilian sedimentary basins where oil and gas exploration, drilling and related activities are permitted. [80% of Brazil’s oil and gas exploration/exploitation occurs offshore.] The atlas covering the very important Santos Basin was […]
Gas Flaring, LAC & Climate Change
Thursday, October 4th, 2007Take a look at the two images to the right. The first is of an offshore platform flaring gas. The second (click to enlarge) is a computer-enhanced satellite photo of gas flaring off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. Yes, if you use the right technique, you now can document flaring from space. Why is […]
IDB: Camisea May Save Peru’s Rainforest
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007Well, I guess everyone should stop fretting. The IDB now says the Camisea natural gas project not only will not cause significant harm to Peru’s environment and isolated indigenous communities, but may actually be the catalyst for saving the Peruvian rainforest! Read all about it in the IDB’s magazine, IDBAmerica, and let me know if […]
Brazil Sets Norm on Oil Platform Discharges / Nova regra sobre descarte de óleos por plataformas de petróleo
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007Synopsis in English: Brazil’s National Environment Council (CONAMA) has approved a binding resolution setting the rules for the continuous discharge of production water containing oils and greases from oil and natural gas maritime platforms. The platforms have to obey a simple monthly arithmetic average discharge level of 29 milligrams (mg) per liter (l), while the […]