In a world of higher electricity demand growth, clean electricity is stepping up to the challenge. Spearheaded by exponential solar expansion, clean power is set to grow faster than demand, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil generation. 2024 both clarified and consolidated the shape of the global …
Petrobras, the state-owned oil group of Brazil, has completed investigation into the sinking of its biggest offshore oilrig, which many say is a cover-up operation. Ten workers had died and a few seriously injured during the incident that took place on March 20, 2001 (see Down To Earth , Vol …
The Brazilian government has introduced an electricity rationing system to overcome the prevailing energy crisis. The citizens have been directed to cut down their electricity usage by 20 per cent. The households which are unable to meet the rationing targets will not get power supply for up to six days. …
Africa's first consignment of cheap generic antiretroviral drugs for treating AIDS was given to Kenya's Nyumbani Orphanage on June 12, 2001. "It's the beginning of the flow of medicines that have hitherto been prohibited,' said Angelo D'Agostino, a priest who runs the orphanage. Five-year-old Dickson, made history by becoming the …
Petroleum minister Ram Naik typifies everything that is wrong with our political system today - a system which formulates public policies not because of public good but because of political lobbies. In the last few days, newspapers have carried articles by Ram Naik praising the use of ethanol as a …
Destruction of Brazil's Amazon rainforest in 2000 was the highest since 1995. The National Institute for Space Research reports that 0.56 per cent of the total jungle was cut in 2000. But since 1999, the number of forest fires decreased by 86 per cent. The institute's officials attribute the deforestation …
Consumer and environmental groups in Brazil who are trying to stop the government from legalising the cultivation of genetically modified (gm) soyabean have another confrontation ahead. The pro-gm lobby is appealing against a federal court's ruling that prevented the legalisation of gm soyabean cultivation in Brazil. The lawsuit was filed …
Environmentalists in Brazil are celebrating the birth of the 1,000th golden lion tamarin monkey in the country's Atlantic forest, a milestone achievement in their fight to preserve the species. "It shows that if we work together we can stop the extinction of species,' said Denise Rambaldi, director of the Golden …
At least 10 people died and a few were seriously injured when the world's largest oilrig (located 130 km off the northeastern coast of Brazil) sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Petrobrasthe state-owned oil groupmanages the oilrig. An explosion rocked one of the piles that supported the rig …
Unlike sub-Saharan African countries, Brazil will not get discounts on two Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (aids) drugs that us-based Merck and Co Incorporation is planning to offer. "The discount on crixivan and stocrin is not applicable to Brazil,' said Marcos Levy, director of corporate affairs at Merck's Brazil unit. Responding …
Two Brazilian journalists and a fisherfolk have been sentenced to two years of imprisonment for chasing and ramming a right whale and her calf five years ago. The case was the first to be filed under the Cetacean Protection Law passed in 1987 that forbids killing and harassment of any …
Brazil's public ministry will file a lawsuit against Petrobras, the country's state oil company. They will demand a compensation of us $1.1 billion for a four million-litre oil spill in July 2000 that affected the Iguazu River (see Down To Earth , Vol 9, No 7, August 31, 2000, p11). …
At Brazil's main airports leaflets will be distributed warning passengers of the danger of contracting potentially fatal blood clots on long-haul flights. The threat of suffering deep-vein thrombosis while sitting on the cramped seats of the economy class sections of long distance flights has recently hit the headlines across the …
Brazil may end up attaining economic development at the cost of the environment. A team of scientists who analysed the implications of a proposed us $40 billion project called
A Brazilian judge, Julier Sebastio da Silva, has halted work on a major river transportation system, as it poses an environmental risk. Silva suspended environmental licenses for projects being undertaken along a waterway that joins the Parana and Paraguay rivers and runs through parts of central-western Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina …
Military personnel of at least 32 Latin American and Caribbean nations may soon get training from members of the us armed forces to guard rainforests, protect endangered species and undertake a variety of other environmental tasks. The us soldiers will teach their Latin American and Caribbean counterparts various ways of …
The United Nations has announced a new biosphere reserve in Brazil's Pantanal region, the largest tropical wetland ecosystem in the world. The country's biologists are hoping that Pantanal's new status will attract fresh funding and investment. The funds will help in conducting more extensive research on one of the Earth's …
Numerous wild buffaloes will be killed in the Rondonia state of western Brazil. They are overtaking the area's native species, say officials of Brazil's environmental protection agency. An agreement will be signed between the Rondonia state government and a private hunting club, which will kill at least 15,000 buffaloes at …
An oil spill of about 100 litres of crude oil has been reported from one of the refineries of Petrobras, Brazil's oil giant. The spill is spread over an area of 2 square kilometres, off the coast of northeastern Ceara state. Petrobras officials are trying to remove the oil stain …
cement and steel production may be more energy efficient in many developing countries than in the us , according to a recent study published in Europe. Among the six countries studied, iron and steel production is reported to be the most energy efficient in South Korea, while Brazil, Mexico, India …
