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Loading ...Prospects for Jatropha-based Biodiesel in LAC
Saturday, September 26th, 2009From the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA): Jatropha touted as “one of the best alternatives” for biodiesel production in the Americas Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica discussed the generation of fuels from Jatropha curcas, also known as physic nut or piñoncillo. According to Jamil Macedo, coordinator of a hemispheric agroenergy network, “Despite its […]
Chile to Ratify the London Dumping Protocol
Friday, September 18th, 2009President Bachelet has sent the 1996 Protocol to the London Convention on Dumping to the Chilean Congress for ratification, and initial indications are that both houses view ratification favorably. If they do so, it will change Chilean law on disposing of wastes at sea and make Chile only the sixth Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) […]
World No Tobacco Day 09: CARICOM Agrees to Ban Smoking in Public Spaces
Saturday, May 30th, 2009From the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat: CARICOM HEALTH MINISTERS AGREE TO CURB SMOKING IN PUBLIC SPACES The Caucus of Ministers of Health have endorsed a recommendation for the banning of smoking on public spaces as a public good and regional goal, as the Region intensifies its efforts to tackle Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), under the Port […]
Chile Ratifies the Basel Ban
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Chile’s Congress today approved ratification of the 1995 and 1998 amendments to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. Ratifying the 1995 amendment makes Chile a party to the so-called “Basel Ban,” bringing the Ban one step closer to taking effect for all Parties to the Convention. The 1998 amendment […]
Economic Growth Model is Rapidly Transforming/Degrading the Amazon
Thursday, February 19th, 2009From the UN Environment Programme (UNEP): A Strong Impact is Made on the Amazonia by its Economic Growth Model However, responses by the governments of Amazonian countries indicate that efforts are under way on concrete action to deal with their environmental challenges. The population is increasing, reaching a level of 33.5 million inhabitants in 2007. […]
Eradicating an Ancient Disease
Monday, January 26th, 2009Leprosy. What images does that word invoke for you? The stories of ostracized lepers from the Bible, Torah or Koran? The scenes involving isolated “leper colonies” from Papillon or Motorcycle Diaries? How much do you know about it? Is it very contagious? (No.) Is it curable? (Yes.) Hasn’t it disappeared except for isolated communities in […]
Colombia Finally Joins the POPs Convention / Por fin Colombia es Estado Parte del Convenio sobre los COPs
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009On 20 January Colombia finally joined the ranks of Contracting Parties (CPs) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The Stockholm Convention commits CPs to eliminate, severely restrict and/or minimize the production, use and trade of 12 POPs — nine pesticides (including DDT), three byproducts of industrial processes and of combustion (dioxins, furans […]
Progress Towards the Health MDGs in LAC / Progreso hacia los ODM relacionado con la salud en ALC
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008Recently 14 United Nations (UN) agencies* released a report (English, Spanish) reviewing the status of efforts of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) nations toward meeting the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The report addresses the following health-specific MDGs: reducing the under-five mortality rate by 2/3 between 1990 and 2015; reducing the maternal mortality ratio by […]
Climate Change Country Profiles for 17 LAC Nations
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the School of Geography and Environment at Oxford University have generated country-level studies of climate observations and multi-model projections for 52 developing countries, 17 of them in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). For each country there is a report that contains a set of maps and diagrams illustrating […]
OMS urge Ratificación del Convenio Marco para el Control del Tabaco
Friday, October 3rd, 2008Desde la la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS): OMS urge Ratificación del Convenio Marco para el Control del Tabaco La Directora General de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), Dra. Margaret Chan, urgió a los países de las Américas que ratifiquen el Convenio Marco Para el Control de Tabaco, un instrumento mundial diseñado […]