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12 Sep 2020 Brasilia, Brazil

Fires Devastate Amazon And Pantanal Wetlands

South American countries have seen a dramatic increase in numbers of fires in recent weeks, which is causing devastation to wetlands.According to data from WWF, the Amazon and Pantanal wetlands in Brazil had the highest numbers of fires this year during the month of August.In the Brazilian Amazon, of the 43,013 fires recorded in the first eight months of the year, 66...

3 Jan 2019 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Shell, Total, Other Oil Majors Illegally Dumping Toxic Fracking Waste In Patagonia

Oil companies operating in Vaca Muerta, one of the world’s largest unconventional reserves of oil and gas, are illegally dumping thousands of tons of toxic oil and industrial waste in open ponds in the sensitive Patagonia environment, according to research by Greenpeace.A new investigation from Greenpeace Andino says that he illegal dumps are operated by Treater SA...

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12 Oct 2016 BUENOS AIRES

Argentina Launches Weeks-Long Mosquito Control Effort

In an effort to eradicate the spread of massive outbreaks of dengue, zika and chikungunya in joint operations with UNICEF, the pan-American Health Organization, Argentina launched weeks of action against Mosquitos on Thursday in Buenos Aires.

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10 Oct 2016 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Jachal Residents Protest Reopening of Veladero Mine

Residents of the town of Jáchal, in Argentina’s San Juan province, stepped up protests last week after Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold announced it was resuming operations at the nearby Veladero mine.Members of the Jáchal No Se Toca (“You Don’t Touch Jáchal”) movement took over the local town hall on October 5th...

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6 Sep 2016 NEUQUEN

Mapuche Community Fights Fracking

The deep red craggy hills of Vaca Muerta, or Dead Cow, rise up against the horizon. This site produces more shale gas than any other place in the world, outside the United States. Fracking could provide Argentina with cheap energy for generations, but Mapuche indigenous communities who live here say it is polluting their land.

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29 Jul 2016 QUITO, Ecuador

Ecuadorian Pollution Victims Bring Case Against Chevron to Canadian Courts

Attorneys for 30,000 Ecuadorians affected by pollution in the country’s Amazon region said this week that they will take their case against oil giant Chevron to a Canadian court.Hearings on the claim will be held in September, Prensa Latina reported.The plaitiffs have asked Canada to uphold a $9.5 billion USD fine against Chevron, issued in 2011 by Ecuador’s Provincial Court of Sucumbios...

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15 Jul 2016 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Jachal Residents Demand Closure of Barrick Gold’s Veladero Mine

Ten months after a major cyanide spill at Barrick Gold’s Veladero mine in Argentina’s San Juan province, local residents are demanding that the government shut down the project.Residents in the town of Jachal say nearby rivers are still polluted with cyanide and heavy metals from last September’s disaster, and that cancer cases in the region are on the rise...

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29 Apr 2016 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Argentinian Protesters Demand Closure of Veladero Mine

Dozens of environmental activists gathered at the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires on April 27th for a silent protest to demand that President Mauricio Macri close Barrick Gold’s Veladero gold and silver mine in San Juan province.The mine is polluting local rivers and using 9 million liters of water per day, according to the activists...

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24 Mar 2016 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Argentinian Judge Orders Creation of Commission to Investigate Barrick Gold’s Practices at Veladero Mine

Argentinian Federal Judge Sebastian Casanello this week ordered the creation of an expert commission to investigate conditions and practices at Barrick Gold’s Veladero mine in San Juan province, where a valve failure last September spilled over a million liters of cyanide solution into the nearby Potrerillos River...

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14 Mar 2016 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Barrick Gold Fined $9.8 Million for Veladero Cyanide Spill

A court in Argentina’s San Juan province on March 11th fined Canadian miner Barrick Gold $9.8 million USD for a cyanide spill at its Veladero mine last September.Announcing the fine, San Juan Governor Sergio Unac said, "With this we are protecting the development of mining activities in the province...

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11 Mar 2016 TORONTO, ON, Canada

With Nine Employees Under Investigation for Environmental Crimes in Argentina, Barrick Gold Says No Health Risk From Cyanide Spill

Canadian mining giant Barick Gold this week responded to Argentinian media reports that nine of its employees had been “processed” last week as part of a criminal investigation into the cyanide spill at its Veladero mine in San Juan province last September.In a statement issued on March 10th, Barrick noted that the nine were under investigation “as suspects of a potential crime in connection with an unauthorized release of processing solution” at the mine...

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7 Mar 2016 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Argentinian Judge Asks for More Studies on Veladero Mine Cyanide Spill

Argentinian Federal Judge Sebastián Casanello last week asked the University of Buenos Aires and the National University of Cuyo (Uncuyo) to carry out testing of residents of San Juan province who were affected by last September’s cyanide spill at Barrick Gold’s Veladero mine.Casanello also requested more analyses of land, rivers and groundwater in the area, the Buenos Aires Herald reported...

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