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Loading ...IDB Backs Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative / BID respalda Iniciativa para la Transparencia en las Industrias Extractivas / BID endossa Iniciativa pela Transparência nas Indústrias Extrativistas
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): IDB Backs Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative The Inter-American Development Bank has endorsed the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which encourages governments and companies to disclose revenues and payments generated by oil, gas, and mining industries. The endorsement was approved today by the IDB’s Board of Executive Directors. EITI is […]
More Progress on P2R2 in Brazil
Monday, August 3rd, 2009Earlier this year I posted about how slowly Brazil’s states were taking up their role under the National Plan for the Prevention of, Preparation for and Response to Environmental Emergencies Involving Hazardous Chemicals Products (“P2R2”), and more recently about Environment Ministry (MMA) efforts to move things along. Now comes some new signs of movement among […]
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) […]
Toward a Sustainable Energy Matrix for Peru? / ¿Hasta nueva matriz de energía sostenible en el Perú?
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009Because of their choice of headline (“IDB Support Creation of New Sustainable Energy Matrix in Peru”), most readers of the IDB’s press release on this loan might come away with the impression that the loan is mostly about the promotion of non-traditional renewable energy sources (wind power, small hydro, geothermal) and bioenergy. Read between the […]
Mexican Consumer Group Demands Vehicle Efficiency Labeling / Los consumidores mexicanos exigen etiquetado de eficiencia y de las emisiones de los vehículos
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009Synopsis in English: A Mexican consumer group, The Power of the Consumer (El Poder del Consumidor – EPC) is calling upon automobile manufacturers to label all new vehicles sold in Mexico regarding their fuel efficiency [kilometers (km) per liter consumed] and greenhouse gas emissions [primarily grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted per km], similar to […]
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 […]
Recovering Used Oil in Colombia
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008Recently Colombia’s Environment Minister, Juan Lozano Ramírez, lauded an industry initiative in that country to collect and environmentally manage used motor oil and lubricants known as the Used Oil Fund (Fondo de Aceites Usados – FAU). “This process is progressing successfully, ” declared Lozano, “because the trend now is, without a doubt, business strengthening that […]
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 […]