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Loading ...IBAMA Fines Firms Not Registered in CTF
Monday, August 24th, 2009Brazil’s federal environment agency, IBAMA, is sending a message to firms operating in Brazil that might be engaged in polluting activity, and therefore should be registered in the Federal Technical Registry (CTF) overseen by IBAMA. It just checked on CTF compliance by 84 firms in the Center-West state of Tocantins, in the process issuing 66 […]
Recycling Ozone-Depleting Substances
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009This week the Regeneration and Recycling Center of the Northeast (Centro de Regeneração e Reciclagem do Nordeste – CRN) will be inaugurated in the capital of Pernambuco state, Recife. The principal purpose of the CRN is to collect, purify and recycle chlorofluorocarbon 12 (CFC-12), primarily taken from old refrigerators. The Center can also regenerate other […]
Brazil Launches HCFC Elimination Program
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009Brazil has just launched the Brazilian Program for the Elimination of HCFCs (PBH) to end that nation’s use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). HCFCs became the substitute of choice for many of the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) controlled under the Montreal Protocol (on substitutes that deplete the ozone layer) used a refrigerants in such products as freezers and air […]
Unique Customs Cooperation Pact on Multilateral Environmental Agreements
Monday, December 29th, 2008Earlier this month Ministers from Central America and the Dominican Republic responsible for the environment, agriculture, health, defense and customs signed an Inter-Institutional Cooperation Convention for the Control of Imports, Exports and Transit Related to Multilateral Environment Agreements. The accord is supposedly the first of its kind in the world (I would be interested to […]
Minas & São Paulo Adopt a Green Purchasing Program
Sunday, September 28th, 2008Two of Brazil’s biggest markets — the states of Minas Gerais (MG) and São Paulo (SP) — each created in August a state program for sustainable public purchasing and contracting that, if done properly, can have a major impact on Brazilian markets — even more so if other states and the federal government follow their […]
LAC Environmental Trivia, Revisited
Thursday, June 19th, 2008The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) recently published the latest edition (covering up to 2007) of its annual statistical yearbook for the region. As in recent years, one section covers natural resources and the environment. If you are seeking a basic set of comparative environmental data for the region, […]
Time to Turn in Your Old Refrigerators, Bogotá
Monday, June 9th, 2008Synopsis in English: One of the downsides of being so long away from regular blogging is the tremendous backlog of things I wish to cover. This is one — the good news that at the end of April, Colombia launched the pilot phase in Bogotá of a program to encourage consumers to voluntarily turn in […]
Brazil Wants CFCs Out of Inhalers
Thursday, November 1st, 2007Synopsis in English: Brazil's National Sanitary Vigilance Agency (ANVISA) just published a portaria (an administrative regulation) that will ban, as of 01 January 2008, the production and import of medicines in metered dose inhalers (MDIs) that contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellent. Anvisa is asking for public comment on the measure [Temas Observation: Interesting how Anvisa […]
LAC Environmental Trivia
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has just published the latest edition of its annual statistical yearbook for the region. As in recent years, one section covers natural resources and the environment. If you are seeking a basic set of comparative environmental data for the region, this is not […]
Argentina and Brazil Propose HCFC Phaseout
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007Synopsis in English: Argentina and Brazil have submitted a joint proposal to the secretariat of the Montreal Protocol (on substances that deplete the ozone layer – ODS) calling for negotiations on phasing out use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). HCFCs became the substitute of choice for many of the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) controlled under the Protocol in such […]