Environment

• Saturday, May 4th 2024 - 10:47 UTC

  Porto Alegre Airport shut down until further notice due to storms

  

  In a move to preserve the safety of workers and passengers alike, the Salgado Filho Airport serving the city of Porto Alegre, the capital of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul, has announced it would be suspending all operations until further notice, Agencia Brasil reported. The Gaúcho State is going through a heavy storm and subsequent floods that have already left nearly 40 people dead and the number is expected to grow given the number of persons still unaccounted for.

• Friday, May 3rd 2024 - 10:50 UTC

  BAS requires “penguin detectives” for vital research on iconic animals

  

  This week, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is inviting the public to become ‘penguin detectives’ and spend five minutes counting emperor penguins to help with vital research into these iconic animals.

• Friday, May 3rd 2024 - 10:24 UTC

  Heavy storms: Rio Grande do Sul's number of fatalities updated to 29

  

  The number of fatalities in Southeastern Brazil was updated to 29 on Thursday after at least 203 cities in the State of Rio Grande do Sul were hit by heavy storms, which are also forecast to move on to neighboring Santa Catarina over the next few days. Some 60 people are still missing, it was also reported. A hydroelectric dam broke near Bento Gonçalves, raising the alert status.

• Thursday, May 2nd 2024 - 10:04 UTC

  Petrobras hits new environmental achievement

  

  Brazil's state-run Petrobras oil company announced this week a 41% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions between 2015 and 2023, Agencia Brasil reported. The result was “exceptional,” said Petrobras' Energy Transition and Sustainability Director Maurício Tolmasquim.

• Wednesday, May 1st 2024 - 14:27 UTC

  Brazil: Heavy storms kill at least 5 in Rio Grande do Sul

  

  At least five people were killed and 18 others went missing on Tuesday as heavy rains hit some 77 municipalities in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul bordering Uruguay and Argentina. A total of 3,742 people were reported to have been affected, while 95 lost their homes and 6 were injured. Almost 300 people needed to be evacuated and taken to shelters.

• Monday, April 29th 2024 - 14:38 UTC

  Emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica suffer as sea-ice diminishes

  

  Record low levels of Antarctic sea ice in late 2023 resulted in breeding failures in a fifth of the continent’s emperor penguin colonies, according to a new study from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

• Monday, April 29th 2024 - 13:30 UTC

  South Georgia: Darwin Plus Funding for Environment Schemes, 2024

  

  The Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is proud to promote and encourage science that contributes to developing and upholding best-practice environmental management and that supports the active management and good governance of the Territory.

• Tuesday, April 23rd 2024 - 20:28 UTC

  Rebel Mapuche leader Héctor Llaitul found guilty, faces up to 25 years in jail

  

  Mapuche leader Héctor Llaitul has been found guilty of attacking authorities and other violent crimes. The prosecution has requested Llaitul be jailed for 25 years but the sentence will only be announced next month. The defendant claimed the trial was fueled by a “political persecution” stemming from the clash between two cultures. The indigenous leader was arrested in August 2022 and has since been remanded in custody at the Biobío Penitentiary Complex, some 500 kilometers from Santiago.

• Tuesday, April 23rd 2024 - 09:15 UTC

  Falkland Islands celebrates World Earth Day and its challenges

  

  April 22nd is World Earth Day, and three leading Falkland Islands experts in the environment and protecting our planet's scarce resources addressed the issue. They are Esther Bertram, CEO of Falklands Conservation, Dr. Paul Brickle Executive Director of the South Atlantic Environment Research Institute, SAERI, and Dr. Rachel Cooper, Head of the Falkland Islands Government Environment Department.

• Friday, April 19th 2024 - 21:48 UTC

  Dead penguins turn up in Mar del Plata

  

  At least 40 dead penguins were found on the Camet beaches in the northern part of the beach resort and fishing industry hub of Mar del Plata. Experts say that despite its shocking effect on residents these events have been occurring every year as a result of climate change and the ensuing lack of food. The first such appearances date back to “between 2000 and 2005,” it was explained.