MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, October 21st 2025 - 02:53 UTC

Environment

  • Monday, February 20th 2023 - 10:30 UTC

    Heavy rains in northern S. Paulo leave at least 36 dead

    President Lula is to visit the area on Monday

    At least 36 people have been reported dead in the Brazilian State of São Paulo as heavy rains caused floods and mudslides. The number of fatalities is expected to rise, it was reported. A highway linking Rio de Janeiro to the port city of Santos was blocked by landslides and floodwaters. In addition to the dead, 228 people are displaced and 338 are homeless, it was reported.

  • Monday, February 20th 2023 - 10:13 UTC

    Brazil's Finance Minister to discuss climate change one-on-one

    Haddad believes Brazil can again play an important role in the current world scenario

    As he prepares to leave for Bangalore, India, this week to attend a G20 conference of economy ministers ahead of the summit of heads of government and state, Brazil's Fernando Haddad insisted that the largest South American country intends to be active again in the solution of global crises, Agencia Brasil reported. The Finance Minister also said he believed socio-environmental sustainability should be a topic in all his bilateral meetings.

  • Saturday, February 18th 2023 - 10:16 UTC

    Survival: Trio rescued after 13 days trapped in rubble

    The 7.8 magnitude earthquake has left more than 41,000 people dead in Turkey and neighboring Syria

    Three people, including a child, were found alive under rubble Saturday in Turkey's southern Hatay province, 13 days after the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, local media reported.

  • Friday, February 17th 2023 - 09:22 UTC

    Lula, von der Leyen discuss Mercosur deal and deforestation

    Von der Leyen would be most welcome in Brazil, Lula said

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva discussed Thursday the Mercosur agreement with European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen in a telephone conversation during which both leaders also reviewed the South American country's fight against deforestation, it was reported.

  • Friday, February 17th 2023 - 09:06 UTC

    Amount of US contribution to Amazon Fund to be announced shortly

    “In the coming weeks, that figure [of the US donation] will be released,” Ambassador Bagley said

    The US administration of President Joseph Biden is to define in the next few weeks its contribution to Brazil's Amazon Fund, according to Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley.

  • Thursday, February 16th 2023 - 20:54 UTC

    Ecuador and Peru fighting a losing battle with China on giant squid fishing in the southeast Pacific

    The squid catch has increased: in the last five years alone, between 800,000 tons and 1.16 million tons have been caught. China has a declared fleet of 671 ships.

    Giant squid, squid or Dosidicus gigas, measures up to 3 meters in length and can reach 50 kilos in weight. It is one of the main species of the southeastern Pacific Ocean and at the same time it is one of the species with the greatest commercial pressure in the world. Thousands of tons are extracted every month, a large part, from the international waters located off the seas of Ecuador, Peru and Chile. The main player behind that voracious appetite is China: it has a declared fleet of 671 ships.

  • Wednesday, February 15th 2023 - 09:57 UTC

    Europe bans sales of fossil fuel-powered cars as of 2035

    Supporters of the bill argued that it would give European carmakers a clear timeframe in which to switch to zero-emission electric vehicles

    The European Parliament approved the draft regulation ending the sale of new petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035, it was reported Tuesday. The measure was passed by 340 votes in favor, 279 against, and 21 abstentions.

  • Sunday, February 12th 2023 - 13:24 UTC

    Brazil: Monitoring flight spots lost tribe in the middle of Yanomami lands

    Scientists fear these groups may go extinct after contact with the western culture through direct conflict or by catching diseases unknown to them

    A small indigenous community has been detected inside the Yanomami Territory in Roraima, only 15 kilometers from an illegal mining site where garimpeiros pose a threat to their survival and well-being, Agencia Brasil reported Friday.

  • Thursday, February 9th 2023 - 10:55 UTC

    Evacuations ordered in Chile as wildfires run amok

    Eight people have been arrested for their possible involvement in the intentional lighting of the fires, Dresdner explained

    Chile's National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (Senapred) Wednesday ordered the evacuation of 14 communes in the regions of Ñuble, Biobío, and La Araucanía, including Nacimiento, Purén, and Contulmo, which have all been particularly affected by the forest fires.

  • Thursday, February 9th 2023 - 10:18 UTC

    Falklands Environment Strategy: First Progress Report available online

    Projects have expanded, the Falkland Islands Community School projects on earwig control and 3D printing of recycled plastic

    Following the adoption of the Falkland Islands Environment Strategy 2021 – 2040 by the Executive Council in late 2021, there has been much work across government towards achieving the Vision of the Strategy. The first progress report for 2022 has been released and is available on the FIG Environment Department website.