Environment

• Tuesday, September 26th 2017 - 20:01 UTC

  Russia commissions first of three nuclear powered icebreakers for Arktika Project

  

  The first serially-produced Sibir nuclear-powered icebreaker, designed to reinforce Russia’s leadership in the Arctic, was commissioned last week at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. It is one of the three vessels part of Project 22220 which are to become the world’s largest and most powerful nuclear icebreakers. The lead ship of the project, the Arktika, was commissioned last year.

• Tuesday, September 26th 2017 - 18:45 UTC

  Jumbo 100sq-miles iceberg breaks off from Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica

  

  An enormous Antarctic glacier has given up an iceberg over 100 square miles in size, the second time in two years it has lost such a large piece in a process that has scientists wondering if its behavior is changing for the worse.

• Tuesday, September 26th 2017 - 13:06 UTC

  Brazilian government revokes decree opening Amazon reserve to mining

  

  The Brazilian government has revoked a controversial decree that would have opened up a vast reserve in the Amazon to commercial mining. The area, covering 46,000 sq km, straddles the northern states of Amapa and Para and is thought to be rich in gold, iron, manganese and other minerals.

• Tuesday, September 26th 2017 - 10:19 UTC

  IAATO and Argentina step up collaborative efforts to promote responsible tourism

  

  Improvements to Ushuaia Port services and future collaboration between the Antarctic cruise industry and the Argentine government were discussed last week at a meeting organized by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Fuegian Institute of Tourism (In.Fue.Tur).

• Thursday, September 21st 2017 - 07:24 UTC

  Hurricane Maria's 250km strong winds knock out Puerto Rico, St Croix, and Guadeloupe

  

  Hurricane Maria has knocked out power to the entire island of Puerto Rico, home to 3.5m people, emergency officials have said. Abner Gomez, head of the disaster management agency, said none of the customers of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority had any electricity.

• Wednesday, September 20th 2017 - 07:17 UTC

  Powerful wide ranging earthquake kills at least 200 in Mexico; thousands flee in panic

  

  A powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in plumes of dust and killing at least 200 people. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped.

• Wednesday, September 20th 2017 - 07:00 UTC

  Merciless Hurricane Maria lashes across the Caribbean leaving thousands homeless

  

  Hurricane Maria slammed into the US Virgin Islands on Tuesday, lashing the archipelago with rain as Puerto Rico braced for the Category Five storm’s expected landfall on Wednesday. On St John Island, which was also battered by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, locals reported seeing trees dramatically swaying in swirling winds, with rain pouring “sideways.”

• Tuesday, September 19th 2017 - 09:54 UTC

  Joint AECO/IAATO conference to promote responsible polar tourism

  

  More than 90 representatives from the Arctic and Antarctic expedition cruise industry will gather in Iceland for the second AECO/IAATO conference to be held in October 1/4. The topic of the conference is evolution and new challenges in the polar tourism industry.

• Tuesday, September 19th 2017 - 09:04 UTC

  Hurricane Maria flattens Dominica: “we need help, we need help of all kinds”

  

  The British Overseas Territory of Dominica has suffered “widespread damage” from Hurricane Maria, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced. “We have lost all that money can buy,” he said in a Facebook post. The hurricane suddenly strengthened to a “potentially catastrophic” category five storm, before making landfall on the Caribbean island.

• Monday, September 18th 2017 - 07:35 UTC

  UK's Blue Belt Initiative taken as reference at the International Marine Protected Areas congress in Chile

  

  The British Embassy in Santiago participated this month with over 30 British delegates and a GREAT-branded stand at Impac4, the world’s largest Congress on International Marine Protected Areas held in La Serena, a city located in the north of Chile. The Congress, hosted by the Chilean Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment, was followed by a High Level meeting in the city of Viña del Mar, near Santiago, Chile’s capital.