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Loading ...Brazilian Banks Assume Environmental Commitment
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009Brazilian businesses depending on bank financing for their economic activities will have to prove from now on that they are committed to developing socio-environmental policies, such as those regarding respect for human and workers’ rights, conservation of biodiversity, valuing the diversity of local cultures, reduction of poverty and income distribution inequality. This is the intended […]
The Green Protocol
Saturday, September 6th, 2008A few weeks ago a press release from Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) came across my desk trumpeting its signing with the Environment Minister of an agreement on supporting sustainable development dubbed “The Green Protocol.” I confess that I didn’t even scan it properly. Instead I filed it away to examine later, guessing (wrongly) that […]
Red de Consumo y Producción Sustentables para América Latina y Caribe
Monday, August 25th, 2008Synopsis in English: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the State Environment Secretary of São Paulo (SMA) and the Environmental Sanitation Technology Company (CETESB) (São Paulo’s technical environment agency) recently signed a cooperation agreement aimed at launching the Network of Information and Training in Sustainable Consumption and Production for Latin America and the Caribbean (Red de […]
LAC Explores Sustainable Consumption and Production Policy
Thursday, September 27th, 2007This past April São Paulo State’s environment agency, CETESB, hosted Brazil’s National Roundtable on Sustainable Sustainable Consumption and Production. At the end of June the top body of the five-nation MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela), the Common Market Council (CMC), adopted a binding Decision calling for an action plan, program and common policy on […]
Amazonas “Visionary” on Climate Change?
Friday, September 7th, 2007In 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 […]
Loan for Environmental Management for Argentine SMEs / Préstamo para la gestión ambiental de las PyMEs Argentinas
Friday, May 18th, 2007From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): IDB approves US$40 million loan for environmental management in Argentina Program will promote sustainable production The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the approval of a US$40 million loan to Argentina to promote environmental sustainability in the productive sector. The program will foster the adoption of cleaner production practices by […]
Attention Eco-designers! Eco-diseñadores, ¡atención! Eco-desenhistas, atenção!
Wednesday, March 21st, 2007For those interested in eco-design in a developing country context in general, or in sustainable design for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in particular, listen up! The First International Symposium on Sustainable Design (ISSD), slated for Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil 04-06 September 2007, has issued a call for papers and speakers. Those wishing to present […]
MERCOSUR Agrees to Cooperate on Biofuels
Wednesday, February 14th, 2007Another one from the backlog queue. First tapped out some notes on this back in December! Only now remembered to dig it out (can I somehow blame it on the holidays?), because of the piece I just posted about the IDB and ethanol. Sorry for the delay. In mid-December the top policymaking body of the […]
An Environmental Agenda for the Andes
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007Another piece I started long ago (at the end of Sept.) and left in the queue. I’ll clear the backlog yet! This is one is not over-ripe, though, because the Andean Community is only now implementing the Agenda. The Lima-based General Secretariat of the four-nation Andean Community* (Comunidad Andina – CAN) has released the Community’s […]