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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 23rd 2024 - 04:44 UTC

Environment

  • Tuesday, June 20th 2023 - 10:25 UTC

    Brazil: Electricity generation from sugarcane biomass on the rise

    Sugarcane biomass accounts for 72% of all installed bioelectricity capacity in Brazil

    According to a study by Brazil's Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Union (Unica) released Monday, electricity generation from sugarcane biomass grew 28.7% in the first four months of 2023, reaching 1,858,699 MWh, which is tantamount to 3% of all the energy in the South American country, Xinhua reported.

  • Monday, June 19th 2023 - 10:02 UTC

    Swiss voters fearing melting glaciers vote to become carbon neutral by 2050

    A full 59.1% of voters back the law, requiring Switzerland to slash its dependence on imported oil and gas and scale up the development of greener alternatives.

    Swiss voters on Sunday supported a new climate bill aimed at combating the melting glaciers and requiring the country to become carbon neutral by 2050. Leading Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss, who has closely followed the glaciers' decline, tweeted that a “strong signal” had been sent, adding he was ”very happy the arguments of climate science were heard.

  • Monday, June 19th 2023 - 08:09 UTC

    At least 13 killed in southeastern Brazil storm

    During the weekend, there was still the possibility of further damage such as falling trees and power poles, in addition to the destruction of houses on the coast.

    At least 13 people died and 4 others were reported missing in southeastern Brazil Sunday due to storms and floods caused by the passage of an extratropical cyclone (low-pressure system), according to local authorities.

  • Wednesday, June 14th 2023 - 10:40 UTC

    Produce from deforested areas banned from EU, beginning 2025

    This measure has faced intense criticism from the Brazilian production sector, as it is seen to be overlooking national laws

    The European Union (EU) finally approved a regulation prohibiting the entry of agricultural items, including coffee, soy, and beef, produced after 2020 in deforested areas, regardless of whether legally compliant with the producing country’s national legislation. The regulation will come into effect on December 30, 2024.

  • Wednesday, June 14th 2023 - 10:22 UTC

    What is killing the animals at Chile's Humboldt Reserve?

    Beyond bird flu, it is yet unknown whether the animals die of the El Niño current, climate change, or toxins in the sea

    Due to avian flu, what used to be a vacation spot in northern Chile full of tourists sighting the marine fauna has become the ground where sanitary brigades look for dead birds likely killed by the deadly virus following the closure of the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, in the Coquimbo region.

  • Sunday, June 11th 2023 - 14:21 UTC

    Trust fund no loss of sovereignty over Galapagos Islands, Ecuadorian gov't argues

    The constitution of the fund is devised so that the resources are allocated solely to conservation and sustainable fisheries

    Ecuadorian authorities Saturday denied that a recent debt swap through the creation of the Galapagos Life Fund (GLF) trust entailed the loss of sovereignty over the Galapagos Islands as a newspaper claimed.

  • Saturday, June 10th 2023 - 10:43 UTC

    Canada wildfires smoke reducing solar power and New England summer heat

    Operator ISO said smoke from wildfires in Canada has significantly lowered production from solar resources in New England

    Solar power generation in the northeast United States is tumbling by more than 50% as a result of the smoke from eastern Canada wildfires. On Thursday ISO New England, the operator of the grid, said solar power generation in New England was 56% below last week during times of peak demand.

  • Friday, June 9th 2023 - 11:08 UTC

    Onset of “El Niño” announced

    The effects of El Niño are to be felt globally, it was explained

    The US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday the onset of “El Niño,” a weather phenomenon characterized by a warming of the surface of the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean that occurs every 2 to 7 years, which can increase the risk of heavy rains and droughts in some parts of the world and lead to record temperatures.

  • Thursday, June 8th 2023 - 10:57 UTC

    Deforestation in Amazon drops 31% interannually

    From January to May this year, there was a 31% drop in deforestation,” João Paulo Capobianco said at a press conference.

    According to Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), deforestation fell 31% in the Legal Amazon, from January to May 2023, compared to the same period last year, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Wednesday, June 7th 2023 - 09:55 UTC

    Panama Canal water level suffering from climate change

    Everstream, a consulting firm monitoring supply chains, claims that each ship passing through the canal requires approximately 200 million liters of fresh water.

    Since the Panama Canal connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific in the early 20th century, it changes forever the history of global shipping. Before the canal was completed, ships had to go around the southern tip of South America, close to the Falklands coal fueling deposits, and a much longer and more dangerous route.