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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 3rd 2025 - 14:49 UTC

Environment

  • Tuesday, June 9th 2015 - 06:33 UTC

    “Healthy oceans, healthy planet”, an essential component of the Earth's ecosystem

    “Oceans are an essential component of the Earth’s ecosystem, and healthy oceans are critical to sustaining a healthy planet,” said Ban Ki-moon

    Although the world’s oceans are vast, their capacity to withstand damage caused by human activity is limited, compromising their critical contribution to the future of sustainable development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on Monday as the United Nations kicked-off its celebrations for the 2015 edition of World Oceans Day.

  • Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:39 UTC

    Environmental groups lobbying to derail Shell drilling for oil in the Arctic

    The Sierra Club and nine other groups sought to overturn the US decision in a petition with the San Francisco 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week.

    Environmental groups and organizations are lobbying to derail Royal Dutch Shell PLC's plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean as soon as July. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, gave conditional approval in May to Shell's resumption of fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic, which was paused after a mishap-filled 2012 season.

  • Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:02 UTC

    UN invites world’s seven billion people to become agents of change on World Environment Day

    “Humanity continues to consume far more natural resources than the planet can sustainably provide,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message

    With many of the earth’s ecosystems nearing “critical tipping points,” the United Nations invited each of the seven billion people on the planet to mark this year’s World Environment Day by making one change towards a more responsible consumption of resources – “be it refusing to buy single-use plastic bags or riding a bike to work.”

  • Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 08:31 UTC

    Ramsar convention in Punta del Este calls for healthy wetlands

    Happy World Environment Day, from Dr Christopher Briggs, Secretary General Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

    We join the rest of the world to celebrate World Environment Day from glorious Punta del Este, Uruguay, where we are currently meeting at the 12th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Contracting Parties have gathered and are very hard at work, to define a new Strategic Plan that will guide our commitment to conserve and wisely use the world’s wetlands, over the next six years from 2016 to 2021.

  • Wednesday, June 3rd 2015 - 09:24 UTC

    Falklands advances despite Argentine disruption and blockade efforts, says Acting Governor Sandra Tyler-Haywood

    “These are exciting times for the Falkland Islands. The past year has seen significant developments in many areas”, said Acting Governor Sandra Tyler Haywood

    Falkland Islands' Her Honour the Acting Governor delivered on Tuesday his State of the Nation speech to the elected Legislative Assembly underlining progress and expansion achieved in the economy and community development, the UK resolute in defending the rights and wishes of the Falkland Islanders to develop their own natural resources, and despite Argentine disruption and blockade efforts, first oil is expected to be produced in 2019.

  • Friday, May 22nd 2015 - 10:21 UTC

    El Niño could again disrupt global food markets later this year

    Professor Scaife said there was a 70% chance of a “moderate” El Niño event towards the end of this year that is likely to lead to droughts and crop failures.<br />

    A strong El Niño is likely to increase prices of staple foods such as rice, coffee, sugar and cocoa, say scientists. Forecasters agree that the El Niño effect, which can drive droughts and flooding, is under way in the tropical Pacific, but they say it is too early to say how severe it will be.

  • Wednesday, May 20th 2015 - 20:34 UTC

    Research icebreaker Polarstern en route to investigate climate change in Arctic

    “This is an especially exciting cruise this year, since it marks the first time in the past 30 years that the sea-ice has melted so early,” explains biologist Peeken.

    Research icebreaker Polarstern left its home port in Bremerhaven on Tuesday setting a course for the Arctic. Led by Dr Ilka Peeken from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) a team of 53 researchers from 11 countries will investigate the effects of climate change in the Arctic, from the surface ice floes down to the seafloor

  • Tuesday, May 19th 2015 - 01:53 UTC

    Monsanto hits back with global campaign: “food is more than just a meal, it's love”

    “Discover Monsanto” campaign calls on consumers to “be part of the conversation” and ask about company’s GE seeds and key herbicide products.

    As the seed and chemical maker Monsanto woos Swiss agrochemicals firm Syngenta, the US company is also is trying to win over consumers in key international markets, rolling out social media and marketing campaigns.

  • Saturday, May 16th 2015 - 08:41 UTC

    Giant washed-up squid found on NZ beach displayed at Kaikoura aquarium

    The mantle is more than 2 meters long, and the longest tentacle measures over five meters. The diameter of each eye was found to be around 19 centimeters.

    A local aquarium in New Zealand reported that a giant washed-up squid has been found on a beach at South Bay in Kaikoura. Reportedly, a man—who was out with his dog for a stroll at the beach—accidentally stumbled upon the marine creature with long tentacles.

  • Saturday, May 16th 2015 - 08:13 UTC

    Polar Code does not adequately protect Antarctic environment from shipping, says ASOC

    ASOC believes that an effective Polar Code should require vessels sailing in Antarctic waters to completely stop discharging raw sewage.

    The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition voiced its disappointment over the lack of any significant new provisions in Part II of the Polar Code that would adequately protect the Antarctic environment from shipping. The London-based UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday adopted Part II of the Polar Code concerning pollution prevention.