An enormous Chinese fishing fleet whose recent proximity to the Galápagos Islands prompted complaints by the Ecuadorian government moved south this month on its way to Cape Horn and the Atlantic Ocean. In mid-December, the Chilean Navy announced it was conducting a “surveillance operation” to track the fleet’s 342 fishing vessels and 17 support boats as they sailed south in Pacific waters off Peru and Chile. The Navy said that at the time of its statement, the vessels were headed toward the Strait of Magellan. Eleven were in Chile’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from the coast, but none were seen violating EEZ regulations by fishing there without government permission, Navy sources say. On Dec. 18, the Navy told EcoAméricas that the fleet had begun rounding the Horn—still without committing any observed infractions. The fleet visits Pacific waters off South America primarily to catch...
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Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen this month signed legislation to phase out single-use plastics, broadening an initial set of restrictions approved in 2018 to halt the proliferation of plastic bags. The new law aims to eliminate the production and use of 11 single-use plastic products by 2023, among them straws, Q-tips, plates, toothpicks and dryer sheets. The legislation, which was signed on Dec. 2 and takes effect in July 2021, mandates that the manufacturers and distributors of these products replace them with biodegradable alternatives. In doing so, it builds on legislation Panama approved in 2018 to ban the use of single-use plastic and polyethylene bags nationwide. Since taking effect last year, single-use plastic bags have been prohibited for distribution in supermarkets and retail locations, and consumers are required to bring or buy reusable bags to carry home the goods they purchase. Several countries in Latin...
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A new study of Costa Rica’s national decarbonization plan indicates the country will reap economic benefits by cutting greenhouse emissions to zero, even after considering the costs of implementing the program. Reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 would provide US$41 billion in net economic benefits, according to the Inter-American Development Bank study, which was released in November. In total, decarbonization in that timeframe would provide $78 billion in benefits and cost about $37 billion, says the study, entitled Benefits and Costs of Decarbonizing Costa Rica’s Economy. The savings would come from electrification of vehicle fleets; generating all electricity from renewable sources; reducing energy use in industry; preserving forests; and cutting farm emissions through improved agriculture practices. Without decarbonization investments, Costa Rica’s net emissions could increase from about 12 megatons of carbon dioxide today to nearly 19 by 2050. While the study acknowledges “significant uncertainty” surrounding these...
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In a move many experts consider crucial to the health of beaches and mangrove stands, Brazil’s Supreme Court has reinstated a coastal sand-berm-protection regulation that the National Environmental Council (Conama) had revoked in September. The 11-member tribunal on Nov. 29 ruled unanimously in favor of the opposition Workers’ Party, which had challenged the Conama move on constitutional grounds. The party argued that the Constitution “guarantees everyone an ecologically-balanced environment…and requires public authorities to defend and preserve [the environment] for present and future generations.” The author of the ruling, Justice Rosa Weber, wrote that revocation of the Conama regulation was unconstitutional because sand berms, called restingas, “play a fundamental role in the ecological dynamics of the coast.” At issue was Conama’s decision in September to eliminate a resolution it approved in 2002 to prohibit development and destruction of vegetation on sand berms within 300 meters (984...
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