The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
The din over individual species nearly drowned the debate on the sustainable use of natural resources at the recently concluded 12th Conference of Parties (cop-12) of the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (cites). The latter issue
the 12th Conference of Parties (cop-12) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites), held in Chile between November 3 and November 15, breathed a fresh lease of air into wildlife management. It brought sustainable use and economic incentives back on the agenda. Three African states were allowed …
Big No To Chips Greens are protesting against the use of native tree species to make wood chips. Recently, Greenpeace activists chained themselves to a Japanese ship docked in Chile to express their resentment. The protesters aimed to prevent the ship from loading 42,000 cubic metres of wood chips made …
In a move that is inviting the wrath of animal rights activists, South Africa is seeking permission to trade in white rhino horns. Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites), such trade is prohibited. "If permission is granted, it would enable South Africa to have limited sales …
Tourists were evacuated after raging forest fires engulfed three state-protected nature reserves, favourite destinations for campers in southern Chile. The fires consumed 15,000 ha of native forest in the Andean foothills. Officials believe that the fires have been caused by dry lightning storms in the mountains. Sergio Mendoza, the forestry …
Comments made by economy minister Jorge Rodriguez supporting the controversial aluminium plant in an ecosensitive area have created a flutter. And environmentalists are seeking a clarification for the same. They have handed in a written petition to the state comptroller questioning the remarks made by the minister. Some time back, …
A proposed aluminium project in remote Aysen region of southern Chile has run into rough weather with the Chilean salmon farmers intensifying their protest. Environmentalists and farmers claim that the us $ 2.75 billion project, planned by the Canadian base metals group, Noranda Inc., would cause irreparable damage to the …
communicable diseases cause 20-25 per cent of deaths annually worldwide. And poor environmental conditions are the perfect breeding ground for these contagions. This indissoluble link, showing how ecological imbalances can be hazardous to health, has been brought forth in the
it is one of the unwritten assumptions of physics that the laws of nature are the same not only in all parts of the Universe but also at all times. This assumption is what allows us to say meaningful things about very distant realms of our Universe and also about …
A salmon farm and several birds were adversely affected in Chile following an oil slick in a southern water inlet. The oil slick took place after a tanker ran aground spilling 350,528 litres of crude oil, reported the Chilean navy. "The area has become inaccessible because of heavy rainfall and …
One of the most successful cases of breeding and harvesting wild animals is that of the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna), native to the Andes of South America, prized for its wool. Conservation efforts in Peru and Chile, which have involved the local peasants communities (campesinos), have resulted in a phenomenal resurgence …
The Chilean government has banned the use of asbestos in the construction and transportation sectors. This has been done in view of the adverse effects of asbestos on health. "Production, importation, distribution and sale of construction materials containing any type of asbestos is illegal,' stated officials of the country's health …
Chile's national environment regulator, Conama, has started public consultations on a bill that seeks to review a 1994 law that regulates vehicular emissions. The bill seeks to update emission standards to check air pollution. If the bill is approved, a new provision, issued by the transport and telecommunications ministry, will …
Punta Arenas, a port city of Chile has been directly exposed to the biggest hole in the ozone layer. Local measurements indicate that the residents of the city are exposed to ozone levels 40 per cent greater than normal. Officials acknowledge the immediate need to solve the problem but say …
the Chilean government is considering a proposal made by an Australian oceanographer and a Japanese engineering company to fertilise the ocean with nitrogen. This would enhance the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide ( co 2 ), the greenhouse gas mainly responsible for global warming. The idea of piping nitrogen …
Diminishing concessions in federal government-controlled forests in the United States are forcing pulp and paper companies to look for greener pastures outside the us. Such is the case of Boise Cascade, an us- based pulp and paper group. They have been given the green light to build one of the …
AFTER air quality levels reached its "unhealthiest' level in 14 months , the Chilean government imposed anti-pollution measures in the capital, Santiago, in the last week of July. The government ordered 3,200 factories to halve their productive capacities and banned nearly all cars without catalytic converters from the city's streets. …
AFTER two decades of pitched intellectual battle over when people first inhabited the American continent, archaeologists have reached a peace treaty of sorts, acknowledging the victory of the Monte Verde excavators. Monte Verde is on the east of Peurto Montt seaport in southern Chile. It is at this site where …
about 400 years after Galileo revolutionised the study of the Universe, a telescope will be commissioned on a 2,600-metre peak in northern Chile. This will be a vast improvement on the existing telescope technology. The Very Large Telescope (vlt) will, so obviously, be the largest in the world with a …
