This white paper examines the current challenges for clean energy infrastructure and identifies solutions that industrial clusters, transport and logistics industries, and the wider clean energy value chain can jointly explore in order to accelerate its deployment. Thirteen new industrial clusters from Australia, Brazil, Colombia, India, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, …
New advanced satellite maps of tropical countries reveal that more than 90 percent of recent tree cover loss took place in natural forests rather than plantations, threatening ecosystems and biodiversity, research shows. The maps mark a breakthrough in forest monitoring that allows researchers to distinguish between natural growth and oil …
Colombia has declared a red alert because of low water levels in two key rivers which supply hundreds of towns and cities in the South American country, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday. A fifth of Colombia's municipalities are already under water rationing measures as the El Nino phenomenon …
Colombia’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, or Ideam, declared red alert Sunday in 20 departments across the country as a result of high temperatures that have caused fires to spread in different regions. Ideam warned of the high probability of forest fires taking place because of high temperatures …
The Canadian province of British Columbia signed a memorandum of understanding with Alaska on Wednesday to protect transboundary rivers, watersheds and fisheries and be more involved in major mining developments in each other's territory. Under the agreement, a bilateral group will be created to monitor water quality in transboundary waters. …
The Colombian authorities decided to temporarily close Tayrona National Nature Park, one of its most popular tourist destinations in the northern Caribbean region, in response to an indigenous community petition to protect nature. The tourists ban takes effect on Nov. 1 and lasts one month. The closure came after the …
A total of 210, among the more than 1,100 municipalities, in Colombia are suffering from water rationing and 300 more are facing a risk of water shortage owing to El Niño, Colombian Housing Minister Luis Felipe Henao said on Monday. “The current El Niño phenomenon is the most serious one …
This policy brief explores the implications of dynamic economic development for adaptation to climate change. Policy lessons are derived from two case studies, the country of Colombia and the Indian state of West Bengal. The two economies are at different stages of development, with Colombia perhaps two decades ahead of …
A fossil sea turtle from Colombia that is at least 120 million years old is the world's oldest, scientists have determined. The almost completely preserved skeleton from the Cretaceous period, with a length of nearly two metres, shows all of the characteristic traits of modern marine turtles. "Santanachelys gaffneyi is …
Four miners have been killed in a methane gas explosion at a coal mine in Colombia's central Boyaca province. The accident happened near the town of Socha, 250km north-west of the capital, Bogota, on Monday. Boyaca province is rich in minerals and mining is one of its main industries. The …
A new data set of landslides that caused loss of life in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 10-year period from 2004 and 2013 inclusive has been compiled, providing new insight into the impact of landslides in this key part of the world. This data set indicates that in …
Colombia, South America's third-largest economy, has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by at least 20 percent by 2030 as a contribution to a new agreement aimed at fighting global warming, the government said on Tuesday. Colombia said it is finishing plans and should present them to the United Nations Framework …
We propose a model of a bus traveling through a sequence of traffic lights, which is required to stop between the traffic signals to pick up passengers. A two dimensional model, of velocity and traveled time at each traffic light, is constructed, which shows non-trivial and chaotic behaviors for realistic …
Prevalence of walking and cycling for transport is low, varying greatly across countries. Few studies have examined neighborhood perceptions related to walking and cycling for transport in different countries. Therefore it is challenging to prioritize appropriate built environment interventions. The aim of this study was to examine the strength and …
A regional analysis of flood risk was carried out in the mountainous area surrounding the city of Bogotá (Colombia). Vulnerability at regional level was assessed and combined with an existing flood susceptibility indicator, thus providing an index that allows the watersheds to be prioritised. Results show that vulnerability can be …
A surprise five-minute rain shower falls like a taunt over the scorched riverbed of the Ranchería river: fat raindrops spatter in the dust but evaporate almost immediately. Nearby, a young girl and boy scoop out a bowlful of cloudy groundwater from a makeshift well to wash a few scraps of …
The rise in dengue fever cases and the absence of dengue vaccines will likely cause governments to consider various types of effective means for controlling the disease. Given strong public interests in potential dengue vaccines, it is essential to understand the private economic benefits of dengue vaccines for accelerated introduction …
India has ranked 24th out of 70 countries in the first Environmental Democracy Index that is topped by Lithuania and evaluates nations' progress in enacting laws to promote transparency, accountability and citizen engagement in environmental decision making. Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, the US, South Africa, the UK, Hungary, Bulgaria, Panama and …
Colombian rescuers on Tuesday continued searching for victims of a landslide that sent torrents of water and mud crashing onto a neighborhood in the town of Salgar, killing 78 people and injuring dozens in the worst disaster of its kind for a decade. Rescue efforts using search dogs resumed at …
Colombian rescuers on Tuesday continued searching for victims of a landslide that sent torrents of water and mud crashing onto a neighborhood in the town of Salgar, killing 78 people and injuring dozens in the worst disaster of its kind for a decade. Rescue efforts using search dogs resumed at …
On 20 May, the European parliament will vote on a proposed regulation to tackle the trade in conflict minerals. The trade in tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) is fuelling conflict which has had devastating consequences for people in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Colombia. …
