The Argentine mountain resort community of Esquel observed its 97th anniversary last month, but the celebrations turned into a showdown over plans for an open-pit gold mine just 4.3 miles (7 kms) from the city center. Residents jeered Governor José Luís Lizurume of Chubut province, where Esquel is located, as he attempted to preside over the main anniversary event on Feb. 26. Then supporters of the project weighed in, prompting an estimated 100 police officers to intervene. At issue are plans by the Canadian company Meridian Gold to mine gold in one of the most important tourism centers in Argentine Patagonia. Key local, state and federal officials favor the project, viewing it as a sorely needed source of jobs and investment amid the nation’s...
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An agreement between Dutch and Bolivian authorities has opened the way for carbon swaps between the two nations. The deal, which calls for the Netherlands to buy 10 million metric tons of certified emissions reductions (CERs) from Bolivia, forms part of a Dutch effort to meet emissions targets established in the yet-to-be ratified Kyoto Protocol. The purchases will be made under the Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows industrialized nations to meet 50% of their emissions-reduction commitments through projects in developing nations. (See “Latin America well-positioned for CDM”—this issue.) The Netherlands now has deals with eight Latin nations—Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Uruguay. The non-binding agreements call for purchases of credits totaling...
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Inocente Pineda Leon learned that talking publicly about pollution could cost Mexican officials their jobs. The Guerrero state delegate for Mexico’s Attorney General for Environmental Protection (Profepa), Pineda was transferred from his position last month after the Mexico City daily Reforma reported that Profepa had identified 16 national beaches with high levels of pollution. Although the report mentioned beaches on both coasts, it struck the rawest nerves in the Pacific communities of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, which endured a disappointing tourist season this year. Local business and political leaders reacted furiously, charging that Profepa exaggerated the pollution problem to benefit rival Cancún, which was not listed as having high pollution levels. The pollution allegations hit the press just as state and local officials in Acapulco and...
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President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last month issued a decree that will effectively end a moratorium here on cutting bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) pending the creation of new rules aimed at providing long-term protection for the endangered tree species. The decree (No. 4593) supercedes two existing mohagany-protection measures. One was an open-ended logging ban imposed after authorities determined mahogany was being cut not only in managed forests, as allowed, but also illegally on indigenous lands and in protected forests. Last month’s decree sets a 150-day period during which new mahogany-protection rules must be developed and implemented. Once the 150 days are up, at midnight July 11, logging of mahogany will be allowed to resume under those rules. The panel...
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