News of environment

Police believe asado was cause of El Bolsón wildfire

30-01-2021 08:55 Police raid home 10 kilometres from El Bolsón searching for evidence. Investigators believe remnants of asado barbeque were likely cause of blaze that has ravaged 10,000 hectares.

'Distrust' of Brazil stalls EU-Mercosur trade deal

13-12-2020 19:45 Concerns over Amazon deforestation under Bolsonaro are delaying the ratification of a two-decades long negotiated trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur.

Expect a lot more of the same if Trump wins a second term

03-11-2020 16:07 If the US president wins another four years in office, there's no indication of any big policy shift coming up.

Environmentalists, markets eye Argentina’s transgenic wheat askance

27-10-2020 14:33 Argentina became the first country to approve the growth and consumption of genetically modified drought-tolerant wheat earlier this month. Markets, healthcare professionals and environmental activists express concerns.

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.

More than 400,000 hectares burned in fires since turn of year

29-09-2020 16:35 At the start of this week, 434,975 hectares nationwide had already been affected by forest and bush fires, with 10 provinces in particular bearing the brunt, according to official data.

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.

World isn't meeting any biodiversity goals, UN report finds

15-09-2020 15:29 Countries are set to miss all of the targets they set themselves a decade ago to preserve nature and save Earth's vital biodiversity, the United Nations said Tuesday.

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.

G20 carbon 'food-print' highest in meat-loving nations, says report

15-07-2020 23:28 Argentina tops the list of G20 nations with a diet exceeding climate thresholds nearly five-fold, followed by Canada, Brazil, the United States, Russia and Australia, says new report comparing carbon emissions from food consumption.

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.

As people stay home, Earth turns wilder and cleaner

22-04-2020 14:12 When people stay home, Earth becomes cleaner and wilder.

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.

Latin America’s trash brims with hidden cash

24-01-2020 13:42 "Where there’s waste, there’s also opportunity. Latin Americans, belatedly, seem to be catching on," writes Marc Margolis.

by Mac Margolis

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.

Mendoza government puts brakes on controversial mining law

26-12-2019 18:47 Mendoza Province Governor Rodolfo Suárez says he will hold a "broad debate" with all sectors of society on issue. UCR leader refuses to rule out popular vote on modifications to Law 7722.

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.

Australian government agency lowers Great Barrier Reef outlook to 'very poor'

30-08-2019 12:26 The government agency that manages Australia's Great Barrier Reef has downgraded its outlook for the corals' condition from "poor" to "very poor" due to warming oceans.

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.

Pope Francis expresses fears for Amazon, the planet's 'vital lung'

25-08-2019 17:49 "We are concerned about the vast fires that have developed in the Amazon," the pope told the faithful at the Vatican. "That forest lung is vital for our planet."