Environment

• Sunday, August 27th 2023 - 00:09 UTC

  Hot weather hits Rio de Janeiro this winter

  

  Despite the southern hemisphere being still in winter, meteorologists foresee temperatures in the iconic city of Rio de Janeiro might reach 41°C as dry conditions heat up Southeastern Brazil, Agencia Brasil reported Thursday.

• Thursday, August 24th 2023 - 10:54 UTC

  Uruguay: End of water crisis decreed

  

  Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou decreed the end of the water crisis affecting the South American country's capital, it was announced Wednesday in Montevideo. Lacalle said Decree 177 dated June 19, 2023, had been revoked, thus reinstating taxation on bottled water, it was explained.

• Wednesday, August 23rd 2023 - 08:49 UTC

  Sea lions in Necochea died of avian flu?

  

  Argentine authorities are investigating whether the death of around 40 sea lions inside the port terminal of Necochea / Quequén was due to an outbreak of avian flu, it was reported Tuesday. A colony of about 400 sea lions is usually to be found there.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2023 - 10:40 UTC

  Heavy rains in Chile leave 2 people dead, thousands stranded

  

  Heavy rains in central and southern Chile have resulted in at least two people dead plus thousands stranded or taken to shelters, it was reported Monday. The victims were a driver who was hit by a tree and a firefighter who was killed Sunday when trying to rescue a lamb from the river in the town of Cañete, in the Bíobio region, some 550 kilometers south of Santiago, Undersecretary of the Interior Manuel Monsalve said.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2023 - 10:29 UTC

  Ecuador voted to ban mining and oil drilling in an Amazon national park

  

  The Ecuadorian electorate voted on Sunday against oil drilling, according to results of an election-day referendum published early Monday. Voters were asked whether to ban mining in the highlands and further oil drilling in Yasuni National Park in the Amazon.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2023 - 07:20 UTC

  WindWings: cargo vessel travelling to Brazil fitted with giant sails

  

  A cargo ship fitted with giant, rigid British-designed sails has set out on its maiden voyage. Shipping firm Cargill, which has chartered the vessel, hopes the technology will help the industry chart a course toward a greener future.

• Monday, August 21st 2023 - 11:01 UTC

  Dramatic report on world water resources, four billion people affected

  

  One-fourth of the planet’s population in 25 countries experiences extremely high water stress annually, using nearly all of their available water supply on a regular basis, according to new data from the World Resources Institute (WRI)’s Aqueduct Water Risk.

• Monday, August 21st 2023 - 10:43 UTC

  World scientists call for more research on the Southern Ocean and climate change

  

  Three hundred scientists from 25 nations have met this week in the Antarctic gateway city of Hobart, Australia, for the first-ever international conference of the Southern Ocean Observing System, SOOS.

• Thursday, August 17th 2023 - 10:13 UTC

  Penguin Propulsion: The Physics Behind the World’s Fastest Swimming Birds

  

  A piece from the American Institute of Physics points out that Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimming birds in the world, and that ability comes from their unique and sophisticated wings.

• Thursday, August 17th 2023 - 08:10 UTC

  Lula, Biden discuss climate change over the phone

  

  Presidents Joseph Biden of the United States and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil Wednesday discussed climate change during a telephone conversation in which a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders next year was also considered.