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Loading ...ANVISA Proposes Ban on Endosulfan, Partial Ban on Acephate
Friday, September 4th, 2009Following up on its review of 12 pesticides banned or severely restricted in other nations, Brazil’s National Sanitary Vigilance Agency (ANVISA) is proposing a ban on the use in that country of the active ingredient endosulfan in pesticides used in growing cotton, cocoa, coffee, sugarcane and soybeans. The proposal, released for public comment today, also […]
Time for a New Biodiesel Policy in Brazil?
Friday, July 17th, 2009Luiz Prado says it’s time for Brazil to adopt a “serious” national policy on biodiesel. I think he has a point. Brazil has had a biodiesel policy — er, make that a biodiesel program — since 2003. It has a number of elements, but the lynchpins are a blending mandate (currently set at B4), and […]
Checking on the Green Protocol
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009At a ceremony today in which Brazil’s Central Bank joined public and private banks in signing the “Green Protocol” of environmental commitments, Environment Minister Carlos Minc announced that an upcoming meeting with public banks and the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban) will the rules for reporting how banks are meeting their Protocol commitments. Proper reporting, […]
Using Community Mapping to Combat Deforestation / Utilizando mapeamento participativo para combatir o desmatamento
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009Temas Observation: I have long stressed the importance of good data-gathering and diagnosis as the basis for sound action, and advocated getting individuals, civic groups and communities involved in such work. Hence I applaud this effort led by Greenpeace. As their press releases point out, combating deforestation in the Amazon is difficult in part because […]
Brazilian Export of Organic Produce
Sunday, January 11th, 2009Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry (MAPA) reports that between August 2006 and September 2008 Brazil exported 37,000 metric tons of organic produce worth about US$26.7 million, 32% of it to The Netherlands, 15% to Switzerland, 12% to the US and 7% to the UK. Over half (56%) of the exports were organic soy. Organic exports in 2007 […]
A Unique GEO for MEROSUR
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008Last month a GEO for the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR or MERCOSUL) was finally unveiled with much fanfare by representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the meeting of MERCOSUR Environment Ministers. What’s a GEO? It’s probably the best known type of comprehensive environmental diagnosis available. “GEO” was the acronym for “Global […]
Brazil Defends Sugarcane Ethanol / Brasil defende etanol de cana-de-açúcar
Friday, November 21st, 2008From Brazil’s Nation Development Bank (BNDES): BNDES publishes book with unprecedented mapping of the ethanol sector Brazil is one of the most advanced countries in technology and productivity in all stages of the sugarcane ethanol production chain. The Brazilian experience shows that sugarcane bioethanol has become one of the most important responses to the growing […]
Brazil to Start Second Generation Biofuel Production by 2015
Saturday, October 4th, 2008Synopsis in English: The industrial director of Petrobras Biofuels recently declared that his company will enter into commercial production of second-generation biofuels by 2015. The company is conducting priority research in cooperation with Petrobras Research (CENPRES) into developing cellulosic ethanol utilizing wastes such as sugarcane bagasse. “This process will permit increasing production 60% using the […]
Brazil Now Third Largest Biodiesel Producer
Sunday, August 24th, 2008Synopsis in English: The Brazilian Presidency proudly proclaims that Brazil is now the third largest producer of biodeisel behind Germany and the US. Brazil now has 41 biodiesel production plants in commercial operation and 52 plants in the process of getting authorization from the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuel Agency (Agência Nacional de Petróleo, […]
Farm Animal Production and Climate Change
Monday, June 23rd, 2008The May issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, the peer-reviewed monthly research journal of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), featured an article* on the contribution of farm animal production to climate change. Although the article does not focus just on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), given the importance of farm animal […]