Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRASILIA78
2009-01-16 18:46:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Brasilia
Cable title:  

SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 116

Tags:  SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR 
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3359
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 7314
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 1640
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 1721
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 8973
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3402
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7156
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASH DC
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SIPDIS

DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV
TREASURY FOR USED IBRD AND IDB AND INTL/MDB
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: LIZ MAHEW
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN
INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY
INTERIOR FOR NPS: JONATHAN PUTNAM
INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER
JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: JWEBB
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: CAM HILL-MACON
USDA FOR ARS/INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: G FLANLEY
NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: HAROLD STOLBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR
SUBJECT: SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 116

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 BRASILIA 000078

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV
TREASURY FOR USED IBRD AND IDB AND INTL/MDB
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: LIZ MAHEW
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN
INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY
INTERIOR FOR NPS: JONATHAN PUTNAM
INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER
JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: JWEBB
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: CAM HILL-MACON
USDA FOR ARS/INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: G FLANLEY
NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: HAROLD STOLBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR
SUBJECT: SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 116

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1. The following is number 116 in a series of newsletters,
published by the Brasilia Regional Environmental Hub, covering
environment, science and technology, and health news in South
America. The information below was gathered from news sources from
across the region, and the views expressed do not necessarily
reflect those of the Hub office or our constituent posts.
Addressees who would like to receive a user-friendly email version
of this newsletter should contact Larissa Stoner at
stonerla@state.gov. NOTE: THE NEWSLETTER IS NOW ALSO AVAILABLE ON
THE BRASILIA INTRANET PAGE, BY CLICKING ON THE 'HUB' LINK.


2. Table of Contents

Agriculture
--(3)EU and Mercosul to Sponsor R&D in Biotechnology

Health
--(4)Argentina's Deadly Yellow Fever Outbreak Spurs Mass Vaccination


Water Issues
--(5)Chile Losing Its Glaciers Fast, Study Reports
--(6)Landlocked Paraguay Short of Fuel Because of Shallow Rivers

Forests
--(7)Peru Aims for Zero Deforestation
--(8)Brazil: Hackers Aid Amazon Logging Scam
--(9)Paraguay: Land-Clearing in Gran Chaco Halted For Tribe

Wildlife
--(10)Brazil Moves to Curb Wildlife Trafficking

Fishing & Marine Conservation
--(11)NGO Launches Shark Protection Campaign in Chile
--(12)Chilean Authorities Aid Ailing Salmon Industry

Protected Areas & Conservation Initiatives
--(13)Venezuela: Treetop Walkway in National Park
--(14)Guyana: Iwokrama and UNDP Committed To Ensuring Sustainable
Ecosystem

Pollution
--(15)Chile Tightens Anti-Smog Plan for Santiago
--(16)Ecuador: Estimated Damages in Chevron Case Jump Up


Extractive Industries
--(17)Peru: A Mining Town's Woes
--(18)Peru: Open-Pit Mine Continues to Swallow City

Energy
--(19)Brazil: An Engine Fuelled by Garbage
--(20)Chile Looks to Paraguay for Energy Boost
--(21)Fight in Brazil over Relocation of Amazon Dam
--(22)Mega Coal Burning Plant Slated For Chile
--(23)Chile Weighs of Tidal Energy Option

Climate Change
--(24)Brazil Finally Quantifies Amazon Preservation Goals
--(25)Chile Launches Climate Change Plan
--(26)World Bank Study: Chile Must Change To Face Climate Change

General
--(27)Top Environmental Official in Argentina Loses Her Job

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--(28)Western Hemisphere Nations OK Labor, Environmental review

Upcoming Events
--see Paragraphs 29-37

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Agriculture
--------------


3. EU and Mercosul to Sponsor R&D in Biotechnology

DEC. 26, 2008 - The European Union and Mercosul announced they will
allocate three million Euros for five research and development (R&D)
projects on biotechnology. Each project will last 24 months and
count on partnerships between public and private institutions from
academic and productive sectors in the four member countries of
Mercosul (Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay). The main
objective is to promote the development of biotechnology in the
avian, bovine, and forestry sectors of the region.

Source - SciDev

--------------
Health
--------------


4. Argentina's Deadly Yellow Fever Outbreak Spurs Mass Vaccination

JAN. 06, 2009 - Argentina is vaccinating people against yellow fever
amid concern that its first deadly outbreak of the disease in 42
years may spread from jungle areas to the cities. The
mosquito-borne virus killed a farm worker in a rural area of
Misiones province, which borders Paraguay and Brazil, nine months
after a tobacco worker died in the same area, the country's first
confirmed yellow fever fatality since 1966. At least 2.5 million
Argentineans risk exposure to the virus, said Misiones Governor
Maurice Fabian Closs in a statement on the provincial health
authority's Web site. Misiones has ordered 1.2 million doses to
immunize all residents and those traveling to the province. The
Argentine cases add to a wave of infections in humans and monkeys in
Brazil, Paraguay and Peru during the past 18 months, most of which
were caused by infected mosquitoes circulating in jungle areas.

Source - Bloomberg

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Water Issues
--------------


5. Chile Losing Its Glaciers Fast, Study Reports

DEC. 10, 2008 - Chile's glaciers, frozen reservoirs of fresh water
upon which the country heavily depends, are receding at an alarming
rate according to a recent report by the National Water Directorate
(DGA). The Echaurren glacier, located just 50 kilometers from
Santiago, is losing some 12 meters per year, said the November
report, which compared data collected between 1986 and 2007. If the
melting rate continues, the Echaurren glacier - which supplies 70
percent of Santiago's drinking water - could disappear within the
next 50 years. A similar situation is occurring in the south, where
Chilean Patagonia's massive ice fields - the largest in the world
outside of Greenland and Antarctica - are melting fast. "The
results indicate that the Campos de Hielo Sur glaciers generally

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tend to recede, which could be due to climate change in the region,"
the study reported. "Reduced rainfall and the one degree Celsius
rise in the average temperature over the past century have caused
the glaciers to melt - in some cases by 580 meters per year." The
DGA study highlighted several particularly dramatic cases, including
Patagonia's San Rafael and Jorge Montt glaciers, which have receded
by 12 and 11 kilometers, respectively, in the past two decades.

Source - Santiago Times (no link)


6. Landlocked Paraguay Short of Fuel Because of Shallow Rivers

DEC. 27, 2008 - Land locked Paraguay is suffering a shortage of fuel
because a serious drought has left the main river, and lifeline, too
shallow for vessels with a draught of more than ten feet, according
to the Asuncisn press. The latest reports indicate that barges
carrying 6.000 tons of gasoline and diesel are waiting to tranship
to smaller vessels which will then transport the much needed fuel to
the capital Asuncisn for its distribution. The situation is
particularly distressing for the government since fuel demand has
increased because of the vacation period and the fact that Pilar,
the last available port along the River Paraguay, has no storage
facilities. The latest reports indicate that the River Paraguay in
Pilar continues to drop at a rate of one to three centimeters per
day and on December 26 was 1.89 meters deep.

Source - MercoPress

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Forests
--------------


7. Peru Aims for Zero Deforestation

DEC. 27, 2008 - The Peruvian government says it can reach zero
deforestation in just 10 years with the help of funds from Western
governments. This ambitious proposal was presented at the latest
round of UN talks on climate change, in Poznan. The government
claims more than 80% of Peru's primary forests can be saved or
protected. Peru has the fourth largest area of tropical forest in
the world after Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.
It has around 70 million hectares of tropical forest covering nearly
60% of its territory. Environment Minister Antonio Brack says his
ministry has calculated that Peru needs about US$25m a year for the
next 10 years to be able to save or conserve at least 54 million
hectares of forest. He says the Peruvian government has already
committed $5m a year, and he is looking for $20m a year from the
international community.

Source - BBC


8. Brazil: Hackers Aid Amazon Logging Scam

DEC. 15, 2008 - Hackers have helped logging firms in Brazil evade
limits on tree felling, says a Greenpeace report. The hi-tech
criminals penetrated a computer system designed to monitor logging
in the Brazilian state of Para. Once inside the system, hackers
issued fake permits so loggers could cut down far more timber than
environmental officials were prepared to allow. Greenpeace
estimates that 1.7m cubic meters of illegal timber may have been
removed with the aid of the hackers. Drawing on information released
by Brazilian federal prosecutor Daniel Avelino, Greenpeace believes
hackers were employed by 107 logging and charcoal companies. Mr

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Avelino is suing the companies behind the mass hack attack for two
billion reals (US$860 million) - the estimated value of the timber
illegally sold. The Brazilian investigation of the hackers began in
April 2007 and more than 30 ring leaders were arrested during the
summer of that year. The ongoing investigation means that now 202
people face charges for their involvement in the subversion of the
logging system.

Source - BBC News


9. Paraguay: Land-Clearing in Gran Chaco Halted For Tribe

DEC. 2008 - A nomadic Indian tribe living in isolation in the dense
scrub forests of Paraguay's Gran Chaco won a reprieve when
Paraguay's Environment Secretariat (Seam) revoked a Brazilian
company's permit to clear land in the area. The 300 members of the
Totobiegosode tribe have for centuries been working small plots,
gathering fruit and honey, hunting and fishing in the northern
province of Alto Paraguay with virtually no ties to the outside
world. Indian-rights activists say they are the last so-called
"uncontacted" people in South America outside the Amazon River
basin. But the Totobiegosodes' existence was increasingly
threatened by Brazilian and Paraguayan ranchers clearing ever-larger
expanses of land. In 2008, the tribe lost nearly 6,000 hectares
(15,000 acres) of its traditional land, according to the
London-based Survival International, a non-governmental
Indian-advocacy group. With deforestation increasing the risks of
violent conflict between the Totobiegosode and ranchers,
Indian-rights activists and environmentalists applauded the ruling.
They say it marks the first major step by the Paraguayan government
to protect the tribe and the lands it depends on.

Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
article)

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Wildlife
--------------


10. Brazil Moves to Curb Wildlife Trafficking

JAN. 05, 2009 - Brazil has one of the richest varieties of animal
species in the world but it is also one of the biggest markets for
animal trafficking. Studies produced for the government estimate
that as many as 10 million animals are taken from their natural
habitats each year; however it is impossible to know the exact
number. What is known is that around 50,000 animals are rescued by
the authorities each year - representing just a small percentage of
those believed to be taken by traffickers. Many animals are said to
die en route to market, but again the numbers are subject to
conflicting claims. However, no-one disputes that these animals are
often transported in horrific conditions. Animal rights groups say
the law has been weakened in recent years and that the government
needs to do more. An official advertising campaign has now been
launched to try to change public attitudes. It shows graphic images
of dead animals, with a message to the public: this happens because
you buy. Ministers also say legislation will be improved and the
number of on-the-ground law enforcers will increase.

Source - BBC News

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Fishing & Marine Conservation

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--------------


11. NGO Launches Shark Protection Campaign in Chile

DEC. 11, 2008 - Spurred by studies showing a sharply declining shark
population, the Santiago-based NGO Oceana recently launched a shark
protection campaign aiming to put an end to "shark finning." Shark
finning is the practice of removing a shark's fins once it is caught
and then releasing the shark into the water so it can bleed to
death. Shark populations in Chilean waters have rapidly declined in
recent decades, which is believed to be related to growing Asian
consumption of shark fins. Although shark meat is not very
appetizing, shark fins are considered a delicacy in expensive Asian
restaurants, especially in China and South Korea. Scientists are
concerned that declining shark populations destabilize the marine
ecosystem by increasing the number of cuttlefish (the primary food
source for sharks). The cuttlefish then eat all of the hake and
throw the ocean ecosystem out of balance.

Source - Santiago Times


12. Chilean Authorities Aid Ailing Salmon Industry

DEC. 2008 - The Chilean government announced that it was making
available US$450 million to help the salmon industry overcome the
crippling effects of the Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus.
Officials say over half of the money will be used to help industry
invest in new methods of production and better control of the virus,
which spreads rapidly in packed fish pens and has caused devastating
losses to Chilean salmon-farming companies. In particular, the
Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo) will provide bank loans
to finance sanitary improvements on salmon farms, including new
water recirculation and waste-treatment facilities. Further, funds
will be invested in an ambitious research agenda aimed in part at
ways to boost salmon growth and disease resistance. Green groups
and associations representing small fishermen are furious at the
large size of the governmental aid package for an industry they view
as destructive. Moreover, green critics are concerned that the
government is on the verge of acceding to a salmon-industry request
for immediate, free concessions on some 2,000 undeveloped sites in
southern Patagonia.

Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
article)


13. Protected Areas & Conservation Initiatives
Venezuela: Treetop Walkway in National Park

DEC. 22, 2008 - The people of Caracas will soon be enjoying El Avila
National Park from among its tallest trees, some 30 meters above the
ground, standing on a walkway of hanging bridges 120 meters long.
In addition to enjoying of the view, the path "is a way to educate
those who make the climb to the treetops. The Caracans should be
aware of how privileged they are to have this majestic mountain. In
order to conserve it, we have to have knowledge," park director
Alexis Zambrano told Tierramerica. The sky bridges -- for guided
visits in combination with tours on the ground -- were to open to
the public on Dec. 12, when the park celebrated its 50th birthday,
but heavy rains forced the park to postpone the inauguration until
the dry season. The park sits on 85,000 hectares in the mountains
that separate the Venezuelan capital from the Caribbean coast.

Source - Tierramerica

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14. Guyana: Iwokrama and UNDP Committed To Ensuring Sustainable
Ecosystem

DEC. 06, 2008 - A US$200,000 contract was signed between the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Iwokrama International Center
for Rain Forest Conservation and Development to initiate phase two
of the Guiana Shield Initiative (GSI). The project entitled
'Ecological and Finance Sustainable Management of the Guiana Shield
Eco-Region Project,' is aimed at promoting the sustainable
development of the GSI Eco-regional management framework and is
funded by several donors. The GSI is designed to enable the six
countries within the Guiana Shield (Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana,
Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela) and their communities to benefit
from their natural resources. One of the major activities of the
current GSI project is to set up a pilot program, to develop and
test culturally appropriate mechanisms of compensation for ecosystem
services. The Iwokrama Center was selected as one of several Guiana
shield testing grounds for developing and testing the ecosystem
scheme.

Source - Guyana Chronicle

--------------
Pollution
--------------


15. Chile Tightens Anti-Smog Plan for Santiago

DEC. 2008 - Chilean authorities are readying significant revisions
to the government plan for cleaning up the severely polluted air in
the nation's capital. The new measures include rules aimed at
removing cars from the road that don't have catalytic converters;
tighter restrictions on car use during smoggy periods; reductions in
the sulfur content in fuels; and new standards aimed at boosting the
efficiency of wood-fueled stoves. The revisions come as four cities
in southern Chile are reporting worrisome smog levels. Mostly due to
the wide use of wood stoves for residential heating and cooking, the
cities of Valdivia and Temuco experience air pollution rivaling that
of Santiago in winter, when smog is at its worst. The cities Talca
and Concepcisn, meanwhile, also report smog concentrations that
sometimes exceed official limits. Public confidence in
smog-fighting here has not been high. Over 72% of Santiago
residents view government air-quality initiatives as insufficient,
according to a Catholic University opinion poll released in July.
And critics don't see the air-plan revisions as a breakthrough.

Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
article)


16. Ecuador: Estimated Damages in Chevron Case Jump Up

DEC. 2008 - The court-appointed investigator in the Ecuadorian
rainforest-pollution trial of Chevron has revised his estimate of
the maximum damages in the case dramatically, boosting it by US$11
billion. Richard Cabrera reported to the tribunal handling the
matter, Nueva Loja Superior Court, that damages stemming from the
rainforest drilling in question exceeded US$27 billion. His initial
estimate, made in April, was $16 billion. The long-running Chevron
case focuses on oilfield operations run by a Texaco subsidiary in
the Ecuadorian Amazon from 1972 to 1992. Rainforest Indians, who
claim that there is ongoing contamination from pits containing toxic
drilling waste, are charging Chevron with responsibility by virtue

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of the oil company's 2001 acquisition of Texaco. Chevron is
objecting to the new estimate, claiming that Cabrera filed it
"[w]ithout a shred of new data or evidence..." As the litigants
debated Cabrera's estimate, a panel of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration in The Hague confirmed its jurisdiction to hear a claim
Chevron has filed against Ecuador and the country's state oil
company, Petroecuador. Chevron accuses Ecuador of failing to honor
oil contracts from 1973 to 1977 and seeks damages of more than
US$1.6 billion and accumulated interest through December 2008.

Source - EcoAmericas

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Extractive Industries
--------------


17. Peru: A Mining Town's Woes

JAN. 07, 2009 - A four-hour drive from theQeruvian capital, theQtown of Morococha ("colored lake"Qn the Quechua language) is a
living example of what the mining industry has brought to many poor
rural villages and towns in this country. The town's high school
stadium is located on top of toxic mining debris; most people have
no bathrooms in their homes and receive piped water only an hour a
day; and the community washing areas use contaminated water.
Everything in this town, in the central highlands region of Junn,
revolves around the activities of three small mining companies that
in a few years will be overshadowed by a larger firm: Chinalco. The
Chinese company that plans to extract copper from an open-pit mine
that will operate over a three square kilometer area that is now
covered by houses. The relocation of Morococha, which was
officially incorporated 101 years ago, is inevitable. Chinalco must
cover the costs of the resettlement, under an agreement signed with
the government in 2007, when it obtained a mining concession that
had previously been held by the Canada-based Peru Copper. More than
1,300 families will have to be relocated to allow Chinalco to begin
mining for copper and molybdenum on schedule, in 2012.

Source - IPS


18. Peru: Open-Pit Mine Continues to Swallow City

JAN. 05, 2008 - An immense open-pit mine located 4380 meters above
sea level is swallowing up the centre of the city of Cerro de Pasco
in Peru's central highlands, while damage, in the form of toxic
waste, spreads to nearby villages. The government just signed a new
law to relocate part of the local population, which for decades has
suffered from the lead dust, dynamite explosions and toxic gases
generated by the mining of zinc, lead and silver. The open-pit mine
now operated by Volcan, a Peruvian company, is now 1.8 kilometers
long. The Civil Defense Institute concluded in 2006 that 85 percent
of the housing around the mine is uninhabitable. To the surprise of
many locals, after two years of perseverance by a group of
lawmakers, the government of Alan Garca signed a new law on Dec. 13
that declares the relocation of the town a question of "public need
and national interest." The new law gives the government a
mid-January deadline to set up an inter-institutional committee that
will carry out technical studies for the relocation, finally
beginning the resettlement of 11,000 families.

Source - IPS

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Energy
--------------


19. Brazil: An Engine Fuelled by Garbage

DEC. 22, 2008 - An engine that uses garbage, farm and ranch waste
and derivatives of oil, coal and ethanol, is the latest invention of
Embrapa, the Brazilian agricultural research agency, to bring
low-cost energy to poor rural and isolated communities. The engine
cannot propel vehicles but it can generate electricity and operate
water pumps and ventilation systems. The power depends on the source
and the size of tQ engine, which they hope to have perfected in

2009. The greatest benefit is environmental. "We use the waste that
would otherwise pollute to generate energy and work," Wadt told
Tierramrica.

Source - Tierramrica


20. Chile Looks to Paraguay for Energy Boost

DEC. 19, 2008 - Chile is set to receive a minor reprieve from its
current energy crisis in the north following the success of
preliminary talks with Paraguay for the purchase of electricity from
the Acaray hydroelectric dam. The proposed plan will see an annual
200 MW transmitted through Argentine territory, at an as of yet
undetermined toll, to Chile's northern electrical grid (SING) at an
annual cost of US$80 million for the year 2009. The presidents of
Chile, Paraguay and Argentina announced the plan on December 17 at
the Latinamerica and Caribbean Leaders Summit held in Brazil. While
the current agreement only extends for one year, Chilean Energy
Minister Marcelo Tokman says the success of the deal will prove a
vital step for future energy integration within the region.

Source - Santiago Times


21. Fight in Brazil over Relocation of Amazon Dam

DEC. 2008 - Legal battling broke out over a R$8.7-billion (US$3.7
billion) dam project on Brazil's Madeira River after authorities
granted a permit for preliminary work to begin at a site for which
an environmental-impact assessment has not been prepared. Due to
the litigation, site preparation for Jirau, which at 3,300 megawatts
would be the second-most-powerful dam in Brazil's Amazon, was halted
until Dec. 4, when the governmenQwon a ruling allowing the work to
resume. Green advocates are accusing Ibama, the environmental
licensing agency that granted the permit,Qf moving with reQless
haste to accommodate government pressure for more hydropower. Says
Pedro Bara Neto, Amazon policy director of the U.S. office of World
Wildlife Fund (WWF): "This decision shows how Ibama loosened the
rigor of its own licensing model because of government pressure to
boost energy supply." Controversy over Jirau dates from May, when
the Enersus consortium, led by France's Suez group, won the
concession to build the dam after offering the lowest selling price
for power. That month, Enersus announced it would move the project
12.5 kilometers (7.8 miles) downstream from the site specified in
the government-authored bidding documents. It did so on the grounds
that the new site would require less excavation, which would allow
the dam to be completed by 2012-a year ahead of the original
schedule-and would save money.

Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
article)


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22. Mega Coal Burning Plant Slated For Chile

DEC. 12, 2008 - MPX Energia, a Brazilian energy group, filed an
Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for a 2.4 GW coal-fired energy
plant to be located 80 km south of Copiapo (Region III) - near the
heart of Chile's first-of-the-season table grape deal. The plant
will cost US$4.4 billion and includes two 127 MW diesel-fired
turbines and six 350 MW pulverized coal-fired units. Pending
approval, the facility would be constructed in an area called Punta
Cachos and be connected to the country's SIC energy grid. Company
officials said the two diesel units are expected to come on line in
the first half of 2011, while the first coal unit will be on line in
the second half of 2012. The final coal-fired unit is expected to
begin operations in 2016, at which time the diesel units will be
used for backup. The EIS statement reports that the coal-burning
plant will use seawater to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, while
solid remains will be buried 15 km from the plant in a 125 hectare
depository. A desalinization plant with the capacity to produce
71,700 m3/d of fresh water will link up to the generator complex and
will provide water for nearby industry and agriculture. Nearly
154,000 m3/d of seawater will be used.

Source - Santiago Times


23. Chile Weighs of Tidal Energy Option

DEC. 10, 2008 - The Chilean Navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic
Service (SHOA) has begun studies to locate the best spots for tidal
power plants along the country's immense coastline. According to
studies by the consultant company Baird & Associates, Chile has a
huge potential for wave-powered energy production. "It is possible
to produce 240,000 MW along Chile's coast, twice the capacity of
hydro and thermoelectric stations," said Baird project engineer
Patricio Monardez. Monardez believes many investors are interested
in exploring Chile's waves and expects Chile to have its first tidal
power plant installed within three to five years. According to
Monardez, wave power competes with wind power, which costs between
US$2.5 and 3.5 million per MW. Wave power costs between US$3 and 7
million per MW. Still, tidal energy production requires tremendous
investment and very advanced technology. In addition to the cost
and technology issues, Chile will have to consider environmental
impact issues and how to transfer power from the sea to the
continent.

Source - Santiago Times

--------------
Climate Change
--------------


24. Brazil Finally Quantifies Amazon Preservation Goals

DEC. 2008 - After a year of discussions involving thirteen federal
ministries and consultations with a wide range of businesses, public
agencies and civil society, the Brazilian government on Dec. 1
finally published its long-awaited National Climate Change Plan.
For a country in which 75% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are
estimated to arise from deforestation-mainly in the Amazon-it is no
surprise that reaction to the 120-page document has focused on the
plan's unprecedented targets for reducing the rate at which the
world's largest tropical forest is being flattened, principally to
make way for cattle pasture and cropland. That reaction has been
strikingly mixed. There is delight in some quarters that after years

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of resisting them, the Brazilian government has committed itself to
quantified targets against which the effectiveness of policies to
protect the rainforest can now be measured. But the plan also has
drawn criticism on grounds that these targets, in effect, accept
further Amazon deforestation over the next decade of some 70,000
square kilometers (27,000 sq miles)-an area the size of the Republic
of Ireland. The climate plan's headline-grabber is a commitment to
reduce deforestation by 70% from 2006 to 2017, avoiding CO2
emissions on the order of 4.8 billion tons. To put this into
context, the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the entire European
Union are currently the equivalent of a little over 5 billion tons
of CO2.

Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
article)


25. Chile Launches Climate Change Plan

DEC. 12, 2008 - Strategies to evaluate and mitigate the impacts of
climate change on energy resources, biodiversity, and health, are
some of the measures established by Chile's National Action Plan
against Climate Change 2008-2012, launched by president Michelle
Bachelet on December 4. The plan establishes US$10.6 million for
research on second generation biofuels and a State Fund of US$400
million to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The
Plan also contemplates the implementation of a Biofuels Policy,
incentives for the use of forest and agriculture residues to
generate bioenergy, and the use of solar panels in the construction
of new houses. With respect to water availability, the Plan focuses
on a strategy to manage glaciers and the building of desalinators in
cities of Chile's arid north. With respect to sanitary aspects, the
plan aims to "strengthen and create new capacities to face yellow
fever, dengue fever, and malaria".

Source - SciDev


26. World Bank Study: Chile Must Change To Face Climate Change

DEC. 15, 2008 - Climate change will drastically affect Chile's
traditional production sectors and tourism in the coming years,
reported a World Bank study on the rise of greenhouse gas emissions
in Latin America. The report, released on Dec. 10, analyzes
repercussions that global warming will have in the region and
discusses possible solutions, such as cutting back on coal-burning
energy plants. In its analysis of Chile, the WB report considers
studies performed by the country's former Public Works Minister
Eduardo Bitran, who now heads the Chilean government's Innovation
Council. According to Bitran, Chile is not well prepared to confront
drastic climate changes in the next few decades. One of the key
problems highlighted in Bitran's study is water, a resource that
largely influences the country's agriculture, mining, and energy
sectors. Bitran predicts that an overabundance of water in northern
Chile - brought on primarily by increasing temperatures that will
melt large glaciers within the next 20 years - will be positive for
production in the zone but that there needs to be a stronger
initiative to take advantage of this resource before it disappears.
Bitran suggests building many run-of-the-river dams and reservoirs
to capitalize on water reserves. He also wants to open up debate on
water rights, which are currently highly disputed between the mining
and agricultural sectors.

Source - Santiago Times


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General
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27. Top Environmental Official in Argentina Loses Her Job

DEC. 2008 - Argentine Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti was
ousted from office after becoming the subject of a corruption
investigation and drawing criticism from green groups for failing to
challenge government pro-mining policies and ensure cleanup of a
notoriously polluted river. Picolotti, an environmental attorney,
was appointed in 2006. At the time, she was representing
environmental groups in the Argentine city of Gualeguaychu that were
opposed to the construction across the Uruguay River of a vast
Uruguayan pulp mill. Critics of Picolotti have filed legal
complaints accusing her of excessive spending in office for such
purposes as private plane flights within the country, and of hiring
family members to work in her secretariat. A judge investigating
the complaints has not issued a decision on whether formal charges
will be filed. From a job-performance standpoint, one of
Picolotti's greatest difficulties was a lack of progress in the plan
to clean up the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin, which borders Buenos
Aires and for decades has been seen as a symbol of industrial
pollution in Argentina. After ordering the firing on Dec. 2,
President Kirchner named Homero Bibiloni as the new environment
secretary. Bibiloni, an environmental attorney, served for the
first three years of Nstor Kirchner's administration as
undersecretary of natural resources.

Source - EcoAmericas


28. Western Hemisphere Nations OK Labor, Environmental review

DEC. 10, 2008 - Western Hemisphere nations agreed to review labor
and environmental practices in an effort to make sure that trade
helps rather than hurts their countries. The pledge came from a
meeting of more than a dozen U.S. trading partners that Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice attended in Panama. The ministers released a
statement after the session that pledged to look for the best ways
to avoid environmental degradation and labor abuses - two problems
critics say have been aggravated by the pursuit of increased
international trade. Rice urged Latin American nations to continue
fighting poverty and avoid the temptation close off trade as they
are buffeted by the world financial crisis. The meeting included
officials from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay and Peru.

Source - Miami Herald

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Upcoming Events
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29. International Technical Mission on Climate Change, Sustainable
Development and Urban Planning
Lima and Callao, Peru
Feb. 25-27, 2009


30. 1st National Congress on Protected Areas
Bogota, Colombia
March 9-12


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Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America
Las Vegas, Nevada
March 10-12, 2009


31. 2nd Latinamerican Congress on Biorefineries
May 4-6, 2009
Termas de Chillan, Chile


32. 3rd Interamerican Congress on Solid Waste
May 6-8, 2009
Buenos Aires, Argentina


33. 2nd International Workshop on Advances in Cleaner Production
Sao Paulo, Brazil
May 20-22, 2009


34. 4th International Bioenergy Conference
Curitiba, Brazil
June 16-19, 2009


35. First International Seminar on Environmental Issues in the
Mining Industry
Santiago, Chile
Sept. 30 - Oct. 02, 2009


36. XIII World Forestry Congress
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Oct. 18-25, 2009


37. VI World Park Rangers Congress
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Nov. 2009


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