Environment

• Thursday, November 3rd 2016 - 07:25 UTC

  Uruguayan pulp mill passes pollution tests - Gualeguaychú not quite

  

  An Argentine-Uruguayan commission took 50 samples of effluent from the pulp mill off Fray Bentos and as many in the Gualeguaychú mouth of the river in Entre Rios. Botnia passes test. The reports from the samples collected on the Argetine side recorded more polluting than those found off Fray Bentos. The plant's formal name is “Orion” but is widely known for its original Finnish name Botnia.

• Wednesday, November 2nd 2016 - 11:25 UTC

  Storms cause damage and power outages in several parts of Paraguay - orange alert still on in Uruguay

  

  Various locations within the country, Central, Asunción and the metropolitan area have been area without power for several hours, even in places that were not hit directly by the adverse weather. But service had to be interruped nonetheless as several destructions were reported.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2016 - 14:21 UTC

  Gentoo penguins proving to be the sturdiest in Antarctica

  

  A forty year study on a remote Antarctic island shows that while populations of two penguin species are declining, while a third is increasing. Analysis of census data from Signy Island in the South Orkney Islands reveals that, between 1978 and 2016, the number of chinstrap penguin pairs declined by nearly 70%.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2016 - 04:59 UTC

  Squall hits Piriapolis - all of Uruguay under metheorological orange alert

  

  From 6 am till Tuesday midnight, according to Inumet. Montevideo, Colonia and other key cities are code yellow. Some experts also speak of tornadoes.The Mayor of Maldonado, Enrique Antia, moved to Piriápolis to see first hand the consequences left by the squall that reached 180 kilometers per hour on Monday, and affected several parts of the city.

• Friday, October 28th 2016 - 13:47 UTC

  Major victory for protection of the Southern Ocean

  

  The Antarctic Ocean Alliance applauds the momentous agreement by Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to safeguard 1.55 million km2 of the Ross Sea in the Southern Ocean.

• Friday, October 28th 2016 - 13:28 UTC

  Milestone agreement to create world's largest marine sanctuary in Antarctica

  

  The world's largest marine reserve aimed at protecting the pristine wilderness of Antarctica will be created after a “momentous” agreement was finally reached Friday, with Russia dropping its long-held opposition. The deal, sealed by the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) at an annual meeting in Hobart after years of negotiations, will see a massive US and New Zealand-backed marine protected area established in the Ross Sea.

• Friday, October 28th 2016 - 12:23 UTC

  Renewable energy overtakes coal in electricity generation capacity; half a million solar panels installed every day

  

  The International Energy Agency said in its latest report that last year the world's capacity to generate electricity from renewable sources has now overtaken coal, and renewable accounted for more than half of the increase in power capacity.

• Monday, October 24th 2016 - 22:42 UTC

  Japan and South Atlantic sanctuary main contentions at the Whaling Commission meeting in Slovenia

  

  Representatives from more than 80 nations will square off in Slovenia this week over the fate of the world’s remaining whales as hunters, ship strikes and fishing gear threaten their survival. The stage is set for heated debate, as the 88 members of the International Whaling Commission are deeply divided along pro- and anti-hunting lines.

• Tuesday, October 18th 2016 - 18:58 UTC

  The tiny crustacean which plays a key role in fertilizing the Southern Ocean

  

  Scientists have discovered that Antarctic krill – a tiny shrimp-like crustacean – plays a key role in fertilising the Southern Ocean with iron, which stimulates the growth of phytoplankton, the microscopic plants at the base of the marine food web. This finding is important for understanding the oceans’ capacity for carbon capture.

• Monday, October 17th 2016 - 19:25 UTC

  Historic agreement to phase down HFC gases in air conditioners and refrigerators

  

  Negotiators from nearly 200 nations reached a historic deal to phase down emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) — potent greenhouse gases used in air conditioners and refrigerators. The agreement, a major expansion of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which eliminated the use of the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, was finalized during a United Nations meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.