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    Closer US-Brazilian Energy Cooperation

    Saturday, September 20th, 2008

    Last 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 […]

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    Generating Power from Sewage Treatment Stations

    Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

    The 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 […]

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    Update: Tackling Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock in LAC

    Saturday, August 9th, 2008

    When in June I recommended a good article about the contribution of farm animal production to global climate change, I noted the significance for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): the importance of farm animal production throughout the region, in terms of employment, land use and contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). One month later, […]

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    Farm Animal Production and Climate Change

    Monday, June 23rd, 2008

    The May issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, the peer-reviewed monthly research journal of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), featured an article* on the contribution of farm animal production to climate change. Although the article does not focus just on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), given the importance of farm animal […]

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    The Outlook for Biodiesel in Central America

    Sunday, October 14th, 2007

    The 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 […]

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    Wood Pellets, “Green” Energy and Carbon Credits / Pellets de madera, energía “verde” y créditos de carbono

    Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007

    From the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): Converting wood waste into pellets to reduce greenhouse gases Costa Rica pioneers “green” project for poor countries Costa Rica’s pilot project to convert polluting wood residues into a profitable “green” energy source, presents new prospects for timber industries in developing countries, FAO said today. The project […]

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    Are Biodegradable Plastic Bags Really Better?

    Saturday, September 22nd, 2007

    In my rant last June about unnecessary plastic wrap being praised by Chile’s Environment Minister simply because it is “biodegradable,” I promised a guest post from an expert who can explain better than I can the debate over whether “biodegradable” plastic bags are really a substantial improvement over conventional plastic bags.  I’m happy to publish […]

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    Amazonas “Visionary” on Climate Change?

    Friday, September 7th, 2007

    In 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 […]

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    Investing in Composting

    Tuesday, August 14th, 2007

    A few weeks back Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state’s agency in charge of environmental licensing, the State Environmental Engineering Foundation (FEEMA), announced the first-ever environmental license granted in that state to a privately-owned commercial composting plant. The licensed was granted to VideVerde, a subsidiary of the Venativ environmental services group, for a station in Resende, […]

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    Tapping Methane in Dam Reservoirs to Generate Electricity

    Friday, August 10th, 2007

    Researchers at Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espacias – INPE) based in São José dos Campos, São Paulo (SP), have created a system to capture the accumulated methane in the reservoirs of hydroelectric plants and utilize it to generate more electrical power. The system would not only cut greenhouse gas emissions […]

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