News of environment

Argentina ablaze: 7,600 sq km lost to fires since turn of year

10-10-2020 08:32 Fires in Argentina have raged through an estimated 7,697 square kilometres since the turn of the year, according to government data, with Córdoba and Entre Ríos bearing the brunt. National parks also affected, as campaigners warn of environmental impact.

by Nick Evans

Study: Antarctic Peninsula at warmest in decades

03-10-2020 16:51 This year is the hottest in the Antarctic Peninsula in the past three decades, a study by the University of Santiago de Chile out Friday found.

Bolsonaro faces growing pressure to green Brazil economy

22-09-2020 08:38 As environmental problems bruise Brazil's international image, bankers, business executives and even agribusiness firms are calling for a greener economy, adding to pressure on outspoken president.

Key EU states fear Mercosur pact may hurt Amazon

21-09-2020 08:22 EU commissioner admits not all EU nations "are aligned" on trade deal with Mercosur nations, as fears historic accord could hurt the Amazon grow.

Marshlands of Paraná Delta hit by worst fires in decades

07-08-2020 16:56 Ravaged by drought, the Paraná Delta is burning like never before. During the first seven months of 2020, more than 11,000 fires were detected in the region.

Pollution turns one side of divided Paraguayan lagoon purple

05-08-2020 23:40 The Cerro Lagoon in the Paraguayan city of Limpio is sharply divided into two parts: one purple, one blue. One part emits a foul odour, the other doesn’t.

Antarctica's splendid isolation keeps coronavirus at bay

19-05-2020 15:23 Antarctica remains the only Covid-19-free continent – thanks in the main to strict security and not a little luck.

Uruguay renegotiates US$3-billion pulp plant deal with Finland's UPM

17-05-2020 08:27 Environmentalists have raised concerns over the plant's impact on Uruguay River, while Argentina lost a challenge in the International Court of Justice.

Website for Latin American whistleblowers launched

20-02-2020 17:45 A secure internet site designed to "train whistleblowers" as well as to facilitate anonymous complaints of corruption and damage to the environment in Latin America where they often face retaliation.

Pope voices 'outrage' over Amazon exploitation

12-02-2020 12:35 In a highly anticipated text, Argentine pontiff on Wednesday pleaded for social justice and environmental respect for the Amazon basin – but failed to recommend the controversial idea of married priests.

Australian bushfire cloud visible in Chile and Argentina

06-01-2020 19:33 The cloud of smoke caused by raging bushfires in Australia has been spotted more than 12,000 kilometres (7,400 miles) away in Chile and Argentina, weather authorities said on Monday.

Mendoza's governor asks legislature to repeal changes to Law 7722

29-12-2019 23:56 Mendoza Governor Rodolfo Suárez asks provincial Legislature to repeal modifications to Law 7722 when they meet on Monday. The reform had been approved just a week ago, prompting massive protests called by environmentalist groups.

Scientists brave crisis to continue research at Venezuela's last glacier

24-09-2019 18:29 The rapid pace of glacial retreat over the past century and a half, accelerated by human activities and burning of fossil fuels, creates new urgency for scientists to understand how freshly exposed rock forms new soil and eventually new ecosystems.

Chilean Patagonia: an open-air lab to study climate change

04-09-2019 12:50 In one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, scientists are studying whales, dolphins and algae in order to help predict how climate change will affect the world's oceans.

Vast fires sweep across Bolivia as well as Brazil

27-08-2019 17:35 President Evo Morales, who has been under criticism for an allegedly slow response to the fires, was in the region on Tuesday overseeing firefighting efforts involving more than 3,500 people, including soldiers, police and volunteers.

New fires rage in Amazon as Brazil warplanes battle flames

26-08-2019 13:38 Hundreds of new fires have flared up in the Amazon in Brazil, data showed Monday, even as military aircraft dumped water over hard-hit areas and G7 nations pledged to help combat the blazes.

Leonid Bershidsky: The EU can push Bolsonaro to save the Amazon

23-08-2019 13:59 It’s appropriate for Macron, Merkel and other European leaders to reconsider the Mercosur trade agreement in response to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s behaviour.

Chile's glaciers may have a bigger problem than climate change

15-08-2019 10:34 Chile has one of the world’s largest reserves of fresh water outside the north and south poles, but the abundant glaciers that are the source of that precious commodity are melting fast. That’s not just an ecological disaster in the making – it’s rapidly becoming an economic and political dilemma for the government of Latin America’s richest nation.

Macri gov't to push mine closure regulatory bill in Congress

20-07-2019 08:06 The bill would seek to ensure orderly financial and environment management of mine closures.

Macron has 'questions' about various aspects of EU-Mercosur deal

10-07-2019 17:54 A spokesperson for the French government said that the French president still had lingering questions about “environmental” and “health” provisions as well as conditions regarding “sensitive sectors.”