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Loading ...A Global Initiative on Efficient Lighting
Saturday, September 26th, 2009From the Global Environment Facility (GEF): Lighting Up the Climate Change Challenge A new global initiative to accelerate the uptake of low energy light bulbs and efficient lighting systems was launched today by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The close to $20 million initiative, the Global Market Transformation for […]
A Green IT Law for Brazil?
Thursday, August 27th, 2009Yesterday the Environment Committee and Consumer Protection (CMA) of the Brazilian Senate discussed a draft committee opinion on a green IT bill just introduced last May. The committee rapporteur for Senate bill (PLS) 173/2009 recommended its approval. The CMA decided to hold a hearing on the bill before deciding on the draft opinion, with invitations […]
Espirito Santo Adopts Law on Products Containing Heavy Metals
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Last month Paraná (PR) adopted a law on mercury-containing products, now Espírito Santo (ES) has adopted a law on products containing heavy metals. Which Brazilian state is next, and will it adopt PR’s single-substance approach, or ES’ broader wider net? Points of Confusion Article 1 of the brief ES law requires “suppliers” and distributors of […]
Paraná Adopts Take-Back Law for Mercury-Containing Products
Saturday, April 18th, 2009Earlier this month the governor of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná (PR) signed a brief law that would require the take-back of fluorescent lamps, piles, cell phone batteries “and other artefacts” that contain metallic mercury. Who Collects? The law requires resellers of such products in the state to provide suitable collection bins on their […]
IDB Funds Coal-Fired Power Plants in Brazil / O BID vai financiar usinas termelétricas a carvão no Brasil
Friday, March 20th, 2009From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): Brazil expands energy supply in Northeastern region with IDB financing Innovative agreement will partially offset CO2 emissions by promoting renewable energy projects and greenhouse gas reduction research Brazil will add 1,080 megawatts (MW) of electric power in the Northeastern states of Ceará and Maranhão with the construction of two […]
Rio to Require Take-Back of Fluorescent Lamps
Thursday, February 26th, 2009The Environment Minister for Rio de Janeiro (RJ) State, Marilene Ramos, has sent to governor Sérgio Cabral for his signature a draft decree to implement a 2007 law requiring the take-back of end-of-life fluorescent lamps. The law required manufacturers, importers, distributors, resellers and vendors of fluorescent lamps to provide consumers with containers for the collection […]
Tienda Inglesa Helps Uruguay Eliminate Mercury Thermometers
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009Last year I posted about Health Care Without Harm‘s (Coalición Salud Sin Daño) campaign to get the health care sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to get mercury-containing medical instruments [primarily thermometers and sphygmomanometers (blood pressure monitors)] out of hospitals, clinics and homes. At that time, they were primarily having success in Argentina. […]
EPA Forces San Juan to Educate Other Cities on Proper Management of Used Oil and Fluorescents
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009From the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): An Agreement between EPA and the Municipality of San Juan Prompts Effort to Improve Waste Handling Island-Wide The general public, municipal employees and others will get the opportunity to learn to properly handle used oil, oil filters and mercury-containing bulbs and lamps, thanks to a settlement between the […]
Finally, a Chance for a Global Mercury Accord / Por fin, un chance para un acuerdo global sobre el mercurio
Saturday, February 21st, 2009When the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Governing Council (GC) considered and agreed on the draft decision on chemicals management, including mercury, this past Thursday, I was in the room. It’s difficult to say which emotion filled the conference room more — joy or excitement. There was plenty of both. This decision had been many years […]
Making Argentine Mining Sustainable
Sunday, February 1st, 2009Argentina’s Secretary of Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development (SAyDS), Homero Bibiloni, recently met with the Mining Secretary, Jorge Mayoral, to discuss joint efforts to make mining in that country more environmentally sustainable. As well they should: in recent months the environmental reputation of the nation’s mining sector has taken a pounding. Recently the provinces of […]