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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 BRASILIA 000078 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV 
TREASURY FOR USED IBRD AND IDB AND INTL/MDB 
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: LIZ MAHEW 
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN 
INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY 
INTERIOR FOR NPS: JONATHAN PUTNAM 
INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER 
JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: JWEBB 
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: CAM HILL-MACON 
USDA FOR ARS/INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: G FLANLEY 
NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: HAROLD STOLBERG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR
SUBJECT: SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 116 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  001.2 OF 012 
 
 
¶1.  The following is number 116 in a series of newsletters, 
published by the Brasilia Regional Environmental Hub, covering 
environment, science and technology, and health news in South 
America.  The information below was gathered from news sources from 
across the region, and the views expressed do not necessarily 
reflect those of the Hub office or our constituent posts. 
Addressees who would like to receive a user-friendly email version 
of this newsletter should contact Larissa Stoner at 
stonerla@state.gov.  NOTE: THE NEWSLETTER IS NOW ALSO AVAILABLE ON 
THE BRASILIA INTRANET PAGE, BY CLICKING ON THE 'HUB' LINK. 
 
¶2. Table of Contents 
 
Agriculture 
--(3)EU and Mercosul to Sponsor R&D in Biotechnology 
 
Health 
--(4)Argentina's Deadly Yellow Fever Outbreak Spurs Mass Vaccination 
 
 
Water Issues 
--(5)Chile Losing Its Glaciers Fast, Study Reports 
--(6)Landlocked Paraguay Short of Fuel Because of Shallow Rivers 
 
Forests 
--(7)Peru Aims for Zero Deforestation 
--(8)Brazil: Hackers Aid Amazon Logging Scam 
--(9)Paraguay: Land-Clearing in Gran Chaco Halted For Tribe 
 
Wildlife 
--(10)Brazil Moves to Curb Wildlife Trafficking 
 
Fishing & Marine Conservation 
--(11)NGO Launches Shark Protection Campaign in Chile 
--(12)Chilean Authorities Aid Ailing Salmon Industry 
 
Protected Areas & Conservation Initiatives 
--(13)Venezuela: Treetop Walkway in National Park 
--(14)Guyana: Iwokrama and UNDP Committed To Ensuring Sustainable 
Ecosystem 
 
Pollution 
--(15)Chile Tightens Anti-Smog Plan for Santiago 
--(16)Ecuador: Estimated Damages in Chevron Case Jump Up 
 
Extractive Industries 
--(17)Peru: A Mining Town's Woes 
--(18)Peru: Open-Pit Mine Continues to Swallow City 
 
Energy 
--(19)Brazil: An Engine Fuelled by Garbage 
--(20)Chile Looks to Paraguay for Energy Boost 
--(21)Fight in Brazil over Relocation of Amazon Dam 
--(22)Mega Coal Burning Plant Slated For Chile 
--(23)Chile Weighs of Tidal Energy Option 
 
Climate Change 
--(24)Brazil Finally Quantifies Amazon Preservation Goals 
--(25)Chile Launches Climate Change Plan 
--(26)World Bank Study: Chile Must Change To Face Climate Change 
 
General 
--(27)Top Environmental Official in Argentina Loses Her Job 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  002.2 OF 012 
 
 
--(28)Western Hemisphere Nations OK Labor, Environmental review 
 
Upcoming Events 
--see Paragraphs 29-37 
 
----------- 
Agriculture 
----------- 
 
¶3. EU and Mercosul to Sponsor R&D in Biotechnology 
 
DEC. 26, 2008 - The European Union and Mercosul announced they will 
allocate three million Euros for five research and development (R&D) 
projects on biotechnology.  Each project will last 24 months and 
count on partnerships between public and private institutions from 
academic and productive sectors in the four member countries of 
Mercosul (Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay).  The main 
objective is to promote the development of biotechnology in the 
avian, bovine, and forestry sectors of the region. 
 
Source - SciDev 
 
------ 
Health 
------ 
 
¶4. Argentina's Deadly Yellow Fever Outbreak Spurs Mass Vaccination 
 
JAN. 06, 2009 - Argentina is vaccinating people against yellow fever 
amid concern that its first deadly outbreak of the disease in 42 
years may spread from jungle areas to the cities.  The 
mosquito-borne virus killed a farm worker in a rural area of 
Misiones province, which borders Paraguay and Brazil, nine months 
after a tobacco worker died in the same area, the country's first 
confirmed yellow fever fatality since 1966.  At least 2.5 million 
Argentineans risk exposure to the virus, said Misiones Governor 
Maurice Fabian Closs in a statement on the provincial health 
authority's Web site.  Misiones has ordered 1.2 million doses to 
immunize all residents and those traveling to the province.  The 
Argentine cases add to a wave of infections in humans and monkeys in 
Brazil, Paraguay and Peru during the past 18 months, most of which 
were caused by infected mosquitoes circulating in jungle areas. 
 
Source - Bloomberg 
 
------------ 
Water Issues 
------------ 
 
¶5. Chile Losing Its Glaciers Fast, Study Reports 
 
DEC. 10, 2008 - Chile's glaciers, frozen reservoirs of fresh water 
upon which the country heavily depends, are receding at an alarming 
rate according to a recent report by the National Water Directorate 
(DGA).  The Echaurren glacier, located just 50 kilometers from 
Santiago, is losing some 12 meters per year, said the November 
report, which compared data collected between 1986 and 2007.  If the 
melting rate continues, the Echaurren glacier - which supplies 70 
percent of Santiago's drinking water - could disappear within the 
next 50 years.  A similar situation is occurring in the south, where 
Chilean Patagonia's massive ice fields - the largest in the world 
outside of Greenland and Antarctica - are melting fast.  "The 
results indicate that the Campos de Hielo Sur glaciers generally 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  003.2 OF 012 
 
 
tend to recede, which could be due to climate change in the region," 
the study reported. "Reduced rainfall and the one degree Celsius 
rise in the average temperature over the past century have caused 
the glaciers to melt - in some cases by 580 meters per year."  The 
DGA study highlighted several particularly dramatic cases, including 
Patagonia's San Rafael and Jorge Montt glaciers, which have receded 
by 12 and 11 kilometers, respectively, in the past two decades. 
 
Source - Santiago Times (no link) 
 
¶6. Landlocked Paraguay Short of Fuel Because of Shallow Rivers 
 
DEC. 27, 2008 - Land locked Paraguay is suffering a shortage of fuel 
because a serious drought has left the main river, and lifeline, too 
shallow for vessels with a draught of more than ten feet, according 
to the Asuncisn press.  The latest reports indicate that barges 
carrying 6.000 tons of gasoline and diesel are waiting to tranship 
to smaller vessels which will then transport the much needed fuel to 
the capital Asuncisn for its distribution.  The situation is 
particularly distressing for the government since fuel demand has 
increased because of the vacation period and the fact that Pilar, 
the last available port along the River Paraguay, has no storage 
facilities.  The latest reports indicate that the River Paraguay in 
Pilar continues to drop at a rate of one to three centimeters per 
day and on December 26 was 1.89 meters deep. 
 
Source - MercoPress 
 
------- 
Forests 
------- 
 
¶7. Peru Aims for Zero Deforestation 
 
DEC. 27, 2008 - The Peruvian government says it can reach zero 
deforestation in just 10 years with the help of funds from Western 
governments. This ambitious proposal was presented at the latest 
round of UN talks on climate change, in Poznan. The government 
claims more than 80% of Peru's primary forests can be saved or 
protected. Peru has the fourth largest area of tropical forest in 
the world after Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia. 
It has around 70 million hectares of tropical forest covering nearly 
60% of its territory. Environment Minister Antonio Brack says his 
ministry has calculated that Peru needs about US$25m a year for the 
next 10 years to be able to save or conserve at least 54 million 
hectares of forest. He says the Peruvian government has already 
committed $5m a year, and he is looking for $20m a year from the 
international community. 
 
Source - BBC 
 
¶8. Brazil: Hackers Aid Amazon Logging Scam 
 
DEC. 15, 2008 - Hackers have helped logging firms in Brazil evade 
limits on tree felling, says a Greenpeace report.   The hi-tech 
criminals penetrated a computer system designed to monitor logging 
in the Brazilian state of Para. Once inside the system, hackers 
issued fake permits so loggers could cut down far more timber than 
environmental officials were prepared to allow.  Greenpeace 
estimates that 1.7m cubic meters of illegal timber may have been 
removed with the aid of the hackers. Drawing on information released 
by Brazilian federal prosecutor Daniel Avelino, Greenpeace believes 
hackers were employed by 107 logging and charcoal companies. Mr 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  004.2 OF 012 
 
 
Avelino is suing the companies behind the mass hack attack for two 
billion reals (US$860 million) - the estimated value of the timber 
illegally sold. The Brazilian investigation of the hackers began in 
April 2007 and more than 30 ring leaders were arrested during the 
summer of that year. The ongoing investigation means that now 202 
people face charges for their involvement in the subversion of the 
logging system. 
 
Source - BBC News 
 
¶9. Paraguay: Land-Clearing in Gran Chaco Halted For Tribe 
 
DEC. 2008 - A nomadic Indian tribe living in isolation in the dense 
scrub forests of Paraguay's Gran Chaco won a reprieve when 
Paraguay's Environment Secretariat (Seam) revoked a Brazilian 
company's permit to clear land in the area.  The 300 members of the 
Totobiegosode tribe have for centuries been working small plots, 
gathering fruit and honey, hunting and fishing in the northern 
province of Alto Paraguay with virtually no ties to the outside 
world.  Indian-rights activists say they are the last so-called 
"uncontacted" people in South America outside the Amazon River 
basin.  But the Totobiegosodes' existence was increasingly 
threatened by Brazilian and Paraguayan ranchers clearing ever-larger 
expanses of land.  In 2008, the tribe lost nearly 6,000 hectares 
(15,000 acres) of its traditional land, according to the 
London-based Survival International, a non-governmental 
Indian-advocacy group.  With deforestation increasing the risks of 
violent conflict between the Totobiegosode and ranchers, 
Indian-rights activists and environmentalists applauded the ruling. 
They say it marks the first major step by the Paraguayan government 
to protect the tribe and the lands it depends on. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
-------- 
Wildlife 
-------- 
 
¶10. Brazil Moves to Curb Wildlife Trafficking 
 
JAN. 05, 2009 - Brazil has one of the richest varieties of animal 
species in the world but it is also one of the biggest markets for 
animal trafficking.  Studies produced for the government estimate 
that as many as 10 million animals are taken from their natural 
habitats each year; however it is impossible to know the exact 
number.  What is known is that around 50,000 animals are rescued by 
the authorities each year - representing just a small percentage of 
those believed to be taken by traffickers.  Many animals are said to 
die en route to market, but again the numbers are subject to 
conflicting claims. However, no-one disputes that these animals are 
often transported in horrific conditions. Animal rights groups say 
the law has been weakened in recent years and that the government 
needs to do more.  An official advertising campaign has now been 
launched to try to change public attitudes.  It shows graphic images 
of dead animals, with a message to the public: this happens because 
you buy.  Ministers also say legislation will be improved and the 
number of on-the-ground law enforcers will increase. 
 
Source - BBC News 
 
----------------------------- 
Fishing & Marine Conservation 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  005.2 OF 012 
 
 
----------------------------- 
 
¶11. NGO Launches Shark Protection Campaign in Chile 
 
DEC. 11, 2008 - Spurred by studies showing a sharply declining shark 
population, the Santiago-based NGO Oceana recently launched a shark 
protection campaign aiming to put an end to "shark finning." Shark 
finning is the practice of removing a shark's fins once it is caught 
and then releasing the shark into the water so it can bleed to 
death.  Shark populations in Chilean waters have rapidly declined in 
recent decades, which is believed to be related to growing Asian 
consumption of shark fins. Although shark meat is not very 
appetizing, shark fins are considered a delicacy in expensive Asian 
restaurants, especially in China and South Korea.  Scientists are 
concerned that declining shark populations destabilize the marine 
ecosystem by increasing the number of cuttlefish (the primary food 
source for sharks). The cuttlefish then eat all of the hake and 
throw the ocean ecosystem out of balance. 
 
Source - Santiago Times 
 
¶12. Chilean Authorities Aid Ailing Salmon Industry 
 
DEC. 2008 - The Chilean government announced that it was making 
available US$450 million to help the salmon industry overcome the 
crippling effects of the Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus. 
Officials say over half of the money will be used to help industry 
invest in new methods of production and better control of the virus, 
which spreads rapidly in packed fish pens and has caused devastating 
losses to Chilean salmon-farming companies.  In particular, the 
Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo) will provide bank loans 
to finance sanitary improvements on salmon farms, including new 
water recirculation and waste-treatment facilities.  Further, funds 
will be invested in an ambitious research agenda aimed in part at 
ways to boost salmon growth and disease resistance.  Green groups 
and associations representing small fishermen are furious at the 
large size of the governmental aid package for an industry they view 
as destructive.  Moreover, green critics are concerned that the 
government is on the verge of acceding to a salmon-industry request 
for immediate, free concessions on some 2,000 undeveloped sites in 
southern Patagonia. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
¶13. Protected Areas & Conservation Initiatives 
Venezuela: Treetop Walkway in National Park 
 
DEC. 22, 2008 - The people of Caracas will soon be enjoying El Avila 
National Park from among its tallest trees, some 30 meters above the 
ground, standing on a walkway of hanging bridges 120 meters long. 
In addition to enjoying of the view, the path "is a way to educate 
those who make the climb to the treetops.  The Caracans should be 
aware of how privileged they are to have this majestic mountain.  In 
order to conserve it, we have to have knowledge," park director 
Alexis Zambrano told Tierramerica.  The sky bridges -- for guided 
visits in combination with tours on the ground -- were to open to 
the public on Dec. 12, when the park celebrated its 50th birthday, 
but heavy rains forced the park to postpone the inauguration until 
the dry season. The park sits on 85,000 hectares in the mountains 
that separate the Venezuelan capital from the Caribbean coast. 
 
Source - Tierramerica 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  006.4 OF 012 
 
 
 
¶14. Guyana: Iwokrama and UNDP Committed To Ensuring Sustainable 
Ecosystem 
 
DEC. 06, 2008 - A US$200,000 contract was signed between the United 
Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Iwokrama International Center 
for Rain Forest Conservation and Development to initiate phase two 
of the Guiana Shield Initiative (GSI).  The project entitled 
'Ecological and Finance Sustainable Management of the Guiana Shield 
Eco-Region Project,' is aimed at promoting the sustainable 
development of the GSI Eco-regional management framework and is 
funded by several donors.  The GSI is designed to enable the six 
countries within the Guiana Shield (Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, 
Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela) and their communities to benefit 
from their natural resources.  One of the major activities of the 
current GSI project is to set up a pilot program, to develop and 
test culturally appropriate mechanisms of compensation for ecosystem 
services.  The Iwokrama Center was selected as one of several Guiana 
shield testing grounds for developing and testing the ecosystem 
scheme. 
 
Source - Guyana Chronicle 
 
--------- 
Pollution 
--------- 
 
¶15. Chile Tightens Anti-Smog Plan for Santiago 
 
DEC. 2008 - Chilean authorities are readying significant revisions 
to the government plan for cleaning up the severely polluted air in 
the nation's capital. The new measures include rules aimed at 
removing cars from the road that don't have catalytic converters; 
tighter restrictions on car use during smoggy periods; reductions in 
the sulfur content in fuels; and new standards aimed at boosting the 
efficiency of wood-fueled stoves.  The revisions come as four cities 
in southern Chile are reporting worrisome smog levels. Mostly due to 
the wide use of wood stoves for residential heating and cooking, the 
cities of Valdivia and Temuco experience air pollution rivaling that 
of Santiago in winter, when smog is at its worst.  The cities Talca 
and Concepcisn, meanwhile, also report smog concentrations that 
sometimes exceed official limits.  Public confidence in 
smog-fighting here has not been high.  Over 72% of Santiago 
residents view government air-quality initiatives as insufficient, 
according to a Catholic University opinion poll released in July. 
And critics don't see the air-plan revisions as a breakthrough. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
¶16. Ecuador: Estimated Damages in Chevron Case Jump Up 
 
DEC. 2008 - The court-appointed investigator in the Ecuadorian 
rainforest-pollution trial of Chevron has revised his estimate of 
the maximum damages in the case dramatically, boosting it by US$11 
billion.  Richard Cabrera reported to the tribunal handling the 
matter, Nueva Loja Superior Court, that damages stemming from the 
rainforest drilling in question exceeded US$27 billion.  His initial 
estimate, made in April, was $16 billion.  The long-running Chevron 
case focuses on oilfield operations run by a Texaco subsidiary in 
the Ecuadorian Amazon from 1972 to 1992.  Rainforest Indians, who 
claim that there is ongoing contamination from pits containing toxic 
drilling waste, are charging Chevron with responsibility by virtue 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  007.2 OF 012 
 
 
of the oil company's 2001 acquisition of Texaco.  Chevron is 
objecting to the new estimate, claiming that Cabrera filed it 
"[w]ithout a shred of new data or evidence..." As the litigants 
debated Cabrera's estimate, a panel of the Permanent Court of 
Arbitration in The Hague confirmed its jurisdiction to hear a claim 
Chevron has filed against Ecuador and the country's state oil 
company, Petroecuador.  Chevron accuses Ecuador of failing to honor 
oil contracts from 1973 to 1977 and seeks damages of more than 
US$1.6 billion and accumulated interest through December 2008. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas 
 
--------------------- 
Extractive Industries 
--------------------- 
 
¶17. Peru: A Mining Town's Woes 
 
JAN. 07, 2009 - A four-hour drive from theQeruvian capital, theQtown of Morococha ("colored lake"Qn the Quechua language) is a 
living example of what the mining industry has brought to many poor 
rural villages and towns in this country.  The town's high school 
stadium is located on top of toxic mining debris; most people have 
no bathrooms in their homes and receive piped water only an hour a 
day; and the community washing areas use contaminated water. 
Everything in this town, in the central highlands region of Junn, 
revolves around the activities of three small mining companies that 
in a few years will be overshadowed by a larger firm: Chinalco.  The 
Chinese company that plans to extract copper from an open-pit mine 
that will operate over a three square kilometer area that is now 
covered by houses.   The relocation of Morococha, which was 
officially incorporated 101 years ago, is inevitable.  Chinalco must 
cover the costs of the resettlement, under an agreement signed with 
the government in 2007, when it obtained a mining concession that 
had previously been held by the Canada-based Peru Copper.  More than 
1,300 families will have to be relocated to allow Chinalco to begin 
mining for copper and molybdenum on schedule, in 2012. 
 
Source - IPS 
 
¶18. Peru: Open-Pit Mine Continues to Swallow City 
 
JAN. 05, 2008 - An immense open-pit mine located 4380 meters above 
sea level is swallowing up the centre of the city of Cerro de Pasco 
in Peru's central highlands, while damage, in the form of toxic 
waste, spreads to nearby villages.  The government just signed a new 
law to relocate part of the local population, which for decades has 
suffered from the lead dust, dynamite explosions and toxic gases 
generated by the mining of zinc, lead and silver.  The open-pit mine 
now operated by Volcan, a Peruvian company, is now 1.8 kilometers 
long.  The Civil Defense Institute concluded in 2006 that 85 percent 
of the housing around the mine is uninhabitable.  To the surprise of 
many locals, after two years of perseverance by a group of 
lawmakers, the government of Alan Garca signed a new law on Dec. 13 
that declares the relocation of the town a question of "public need 
and national interest."  The new law gives the government a 
mid-January deadline to set up an inter-institutional committee that 
will carry out technical studies for the relocation, finally 
beginning the resettlement of 11,000 families. 
 
Source - IPS 
 
------ 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  008.2 OF 012 
 
 
Energy 
------ 
 
¶19. Brazil: An Engine Fuelled by Garbage 
 
DEC. 22, 2008 - An engine that uses garbage, farm and ranch waste 
and derivatives of oil, coal and ethanol, is the latest invention of 
Embrapa, the Brazilian agricultural research agency, to bring 
low-cost energy to poor rural and isolated communities.  The engine 
cannot propel vehicles but it can generate electricity and operate 
water pumps and ventilation systems. The power depends on the source 
and the size of tQ engine, which they hope to have perfected in 
¶2009. The greatest benefit is environmental. "We use the waste that 
would otherwise pollute to generate energy and work," Wadt told 
Tierramrica. 
 
Source - Tierramrica 
 
¶20. Chile Looks to Paraguay for Energy Boost 
 
DEC. 19, 2008 - Chile is set to receive a minor reprieve from its 
current energy crisis in the north following the success of 
preliminary talks with Paraguay for the purchase of electricity from 
the Acaray hydroelectric dam.  The proposed plan will see an annual 
200 MW transmitted through Argentine territory, at an as of yet 
undetermined toll, to Chile's northern electrical grid (SING) at an 
annual cost of US$80 million for the year 2009.  The presidents of 
Chile, Paraguay and Argentina announced the plan on December 17 at 
the Latinamerica and Caribbean Leaders Summit held in Brazil. While 
the current agreement only extends for one year, Chilean Energy 
Minister Marcelo Tokman says the success of the deal will prove a 
vital step for future energy integration within the region. 
 
Source - Santiago Times 
 
¶21. Fight in Brazil over Relocation of Amazon Dam 
 
DEC. 2008 - Legal battling broke out over a R$8.7-billion (US$3.7 
billion) dam project on Brazil's Madeira River after authorities 
granted a permit for preliminary work to begin at a site for which 
an environmental-impact assessment has not been prepared.  Due to 
the litigation, site preparation for Jirau, which at 3,300 megawatts 
would be the second-most-powerful dam in Brazil's Amazon, was halted 
until Dec. 4, when the governmenQwon a ruling allowing the work to 
resume.  Green advocates are accusing Ibama, the environmental 
licensing agency that granted the permit,Qf moving with reQless 
haste to accommodate government pressure for more hydropower.  Says 
Pedro Bara Neto, Amazon policy director of the U.S. office of World 
Wildlife Fund (WWF): "This decision shows how Ibama loosened the 
rigor of its own licensing model because of government pressure to 
boost energy supply."  Controversy over Jirau dates from May, when 
the Enersus consortium, led by France's Suez group, won the 
concession to build the dam after offering the lowest selling price 
for power.  That month, Enersus announced it would move the project 
12.5 kilometers (7.8 miles) downstream from the site specified in 
the government-authored bidding documents.  It did so on the grounds 
that the new site would require less excavation, which would allow 
the dam to be completed by 2012-a year ahead of the original 
schedule-and would save money. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  009.2 OF 012 
 
 
¶22. Mega Coal Burning Plant Slated For Chile 
 
DEC. 12, 2008 -  MPX Energia, a Brazilian energy group, filed an 
Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for a 2.4 GW coal-fired energy 
plant to be located 80 km south of Copiapo (Region III) - near the 
heart of Chile's first-of-the-season table grape deal.  The plant 
will cost US$4.4 billion and includes two 127 MW diesel-fired 
turbines and six 350 MW pulverized coal-fired units. Pending 
approval, the facility would be constructed in an area called Punta 
Cachos and be connected to the country's SIC energy grid.  Company 
officials said the two diesel units are expected to come on line in 
the first half of 2011, while the first coal unit will be on line in 
the second half of 2012. The final coal-fired unit is expected to 
begin operations in 2016, at which time the diesel units will be 
used for backup.  The EIS statement reports that the coal-burning 
plant will use seawater to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, while 
solid remains will be buried 15 km from the plant in a 125 hectare 
depository. A desalinization plant with the capacity to produce 
71,700 m3/d of fresh water will link up to the generator complex and 
will provide water for nearby industry and agriculture. Nearly 
154,000 m3/d of seawater will be used. 
 
Source - Santiago Times 
 
¶23. Chile Weighs of Tidal Energy Option 
 
DEC. 10, 2008 - The Chilean Navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic 
Service (SHOA) has begun studies to locate the best spots for tidal 
power plants along the country's immense coastline.  According to 
studies by the consultant company Baird & Associates, Chile has a 
huge potential for wave-powered energy production.  "It is possible 
to produce 240,000 MW along Chile's coast, twice the capacity of 
hydro and thermoelectric stations," said Baird project engineer 
Patricio Monardez.  Monardez believes many investors are interested 
in exploring Chile's waves and expects Chile to have its first tidal 
power plant installed within three to five years.  According to 
Monardez, wave power competes with wind power, which costs between 
US$2.5 and 3.5 million per MW.  Wave power costs between US$3 and 7 
million per MW.  Still, tidal energy production requires tremendous 
investment and very advanced technology.  In addition to the cost 
and technology issues, Chile will have to consider environmental 
impact issues and how to transfer power from the sea to the 
continent. 
 
Source - Santiago Times 
 
-------------- 
Climate Change 
-------------- 
 
¶24. Brazil Finally Quantifies Amazon Preservation Goals 
 
DEC. 2008 - After a year of discussions involving thirteen federal 
ministries and consultations with a wide range of businesses, public 
agencies and civil society, the Brazilian government on Dec. 1 
finally published its long-awaited National Climate Change Plan. 
For a country in which 75% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are 
estimated to arise from deforestation-mainly in the Amazon-it is no 
surprise that reaction to the 120-page document has focused on the 
plan's unprecedented targets for reducing the rate at which the 
world's largest tropical forest is being flattened, principally to 
make way for cattle pasture and cropland.  That reaction has been 
strikingly mixed. There is delight in some quarters that after years 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  010.2 OF 012 
 
 
of resisting them, the Brazilian government has committed itself to 
quantified targets against which the effectiveness of policies to 
protect the rainforest can now be measured. But the plan also has 
drawn criticism on grounds that these targets, in effect, accept 
further Amazon deforestation over the next decade of some 70,000 
square kilometers (27,000 sq miles)-an area the size of the Republic 
of Ireland.  The climate plan's headline-grabber is a commitment to 
reduce deforestation by 70% from 2006 to 2017, avoiding CO2 
emissions on the order of 4.8 billion tons. To put this into 
context, the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the entire European 
Union are currently the equivalent of a little over 5 billion tons 
of CO2. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
¶25. Chile Launches Climate Change Plan 
 
DEC. 12, 2008 - Strategies to evaluate and mitigate the impacts of 
climate change on energy resources, biodiversity, and health, are 
some of the measures established by Chile's National Action Plan 
against Climate Change 2008-2012, launched by president Michelle 
Bachelet on December 4.  The plan establishes US$10.6 million for 
research on second generation biofuels and a State Fund of US$400 
million to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency.  The 
Plan also contemplates the implementation of a Biofuels Policy, 
incentives for the use of forest and agriculture residues to 
generate bioenergy, and the use of solar panels in the construction 
of new houses.  With respect to water availability, the Plan focuses 
on a strategy to manage glaciers and the building of desalinators in 
cities of Chile's arid north.  With respect to sanitary aspects, the 
plan aims to "strengthen and create new capacities to face yellow 
fever, dengue fever, and malaria". 
 
Source - SciDev 
 
¶26. World Bank Study: Chile Must Change To Face Climate Change 
 
DEC. 15, 2008 - Climate change will drastically affect Chile's 
traditional production sectors and tourism in the coming years, 
reported a World Bank study on the rise of greenhouse gas emissions 
in Latin America.   The report, released on Dec. 10, analyzes 
repercussions that global warming will have in the region and 
discusses possible solutions, such as cutting back on coal-burning 
energy plants.   In its analysis of Chile, the WB report considers 
studies performed by the country's former Public Works Minister 
Eduardo Bitran, who now heads the Chilean government's Innovation 
Council. According to Bitran, Chile is not well prepared to confront 
drastic climate changes in the next few decades.  One of the key 
problems highlighted in Bitran's study is water, a resource that 
largely influences the country's agriculture, mining, and energy 
sectors.  Bitran predicts that an overabundance of water in northern 
Chile - brought on primarily by increasing temperatures that will 
melt large glaciers within the next 20 years - will be positive for 
production in the zone but that there needs to be a stronger 
initiative to take advantage of this resource before it disappears. 
Bitran suggests building many run-of-the-river dams and reservoirs 
to capitalize on water reserves. He also wants to open up debate on 
water rights, which are currently highly disputed between the mining 
and agricultural sectors. 
 
Source - Santiago Times 
 
 
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General 
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¶27. Top Environmental Official in Argentina Loses Her Job 
 
DEC. 2008 - Argentine Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti was 
ousted from office after becoming the subject of a corruption 
investigation and drawing criticism from green groups for failing to 
challenge government pro-mining policies and ensure cleanup of a 
notoriously polluted river.  Picolotti, an environmental attorney, 
was appointed in 2006.  At the time, she was representing 
environmental groups in the Argentine city of Gualeguaychu that were 
opposed to the construction across the Uruguay River of a vast 
Uruguayan pulp mill.  Critics of Picolotti have filed legal 
complaints accusing her of excessive spending in office for such 
purposes as private plane flights within the country, and of hiring 
family members to work in her secretariat.  A judge investigating 
the complaints has not issued a decision on whether formal charges 
will be filed.  From a job-performance standpoint, one of 
Picolotti's greatest difficulties was a lack of progress in the plan 
to clean up the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin, which borders Buenos 
Aires and for decades has been seen as a symbol of industrial 
pollution in Argentina.  After ordering the firing on Dec. 2, 
President Kirchner named Homero Bibiloni as the new environment 
secretary.  Bibiloni, an environmental attorney, served for the 
first three years of Nstor Kirchner's administration as 
undersecretary of natural resources. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas 
 
¶28. Western Hemisphere Nations OK Labor, Environmental review 
 
DEC. 10, 2008 - Western Hemisphere nations agreed to review labor 
and environmental practices in an effort to make sure that trade 
helps rather than hurts their countries.  The pledge came from a 
meeting of more than a dozen U.S. trading partners that Secretary of 
State Condoleezza Rice attended in Panama.  The ministers released a 
statement after the session that pledged to look for the best ways 
to avoid environmental degradation and labor abuses - two problems 
critics say have been aggravated by the pursuit of increased 
international trade.  Rice urged Latin American nations to continue 
fighting poverty and avoid the temptation close off trade as they 
are buffeted by the world financial crisis.  The meeting included 
officials from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the 
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, 
Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay and Peru. 
 
Source - Miami Herald 
 
--------------- 
Upcoming Events 
--------------- 
 
¶29. International Technical Mission on Climate Change, Sustainable 
Development and Urban Planning 
Lima and Callao, Peru 
Feb. 25-27, 2009 
 
¶30. 1st National Congress on Protected Areas 
Bogota, Colombia 
March 9-12 
 
 
BRASILIA 00000078  012.2 OF 012 
 
 
Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America 
Las Vegas, Nevada 
March 10-12, 2009 
 
¶31. 2nd Latinamerican Congress on Biorefineries 
May 4-6, 2009 
Termas de Chillan, Chile 
 
¶32. 3rd Interamerican Congress on Solid Waste 
May 6-8, 2009 
Buenos Aires, Argentina 
 
¶33. 2nd International Workshop on Advances in Cleaner Production 
 Sao Paulo, Brazil 
May 20-22, 2009 
 
¶34. 4th International Bioenergy Conference 
Curitiba, Brazil 
June 16-19, 2009 
 
¶35. First International Seminar on Environmental Issues in the 
Mining Industry 
Santiago, Chile 
Sept. 30 - Oct. 02, 2009 
 
¶36. XIII World Forestry Congress 
Buenos Aires, Argentina 
Oct. 18-25, 2009 
 
¶37. VI World Park Rangers Congress 
Santa Cruz, Bolivia 
Nov. 2009 
 
 
SOBEL