NewsTaco

By Amanda Maxwell, La Onda Verde de NRDC

Chile

HidroAysén, the company intending to build a 2,750 megawatt dam project on two rivers in Patagonia, announced that it would not present the environmental impact study for its transmission line until the end of 2014, in the most optimistic of scenarios. The company has not shown clarity about how it would move forward since parent company Colbún announced in May 2012 that it recommended halting work on the project. Among the reasons given for the delayed timeline, HidroAysén cited the need to re-evaluate the baselines and other technical studies needed for the transmission line’s environmental impact assessment. At the same time, Chile’s government announced that the Committee of Ministers, which is supposed to rule on the 58 appeals filed against HidroAysén’s dams’ approval, will likely not make a decision this year. Filed in the middle of 2011 and originally set for 2012, the appeals case is viewed as too politically unpopular for the government to take a stance. (Economía y Negocios 3/19/2013, 3/21/2013)

The first stone was laid in the Pampa Elvira Solar project in Antofagasta, a $26 million investment by the Chilean-Danish consortium Energía Llaima-Sunmark. The complex will produce 51,800 MWht annually, allowing the Gaby Mine to replace 85 percent of its diesel fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15,000 tons of CO2 each year. Officials expect Pampa Elvira Solar to be operational during the second semester of 2013. (La Segunda 3/15/2013)

Executive Director of the Chilean Renewable Energy Association (ACERA), Carlos Finat, spoke to the Energy and Mining Commission in the Chamber of Deputies of ACERA’s support for the proposed “20-20 law”, which would mandate that 20 percent of Chile’s energy generation come from renewable sources b 2020. He argued against the executive branch’s recent statements that the law would be too difficult to achieve, saying it is both technically feasible and economically beneficial. He further said that the “20 by 2020” goal would allow renewables to compete in upcoming distribution tenders. (Cámara de Diputados de Chile 3/21/2013)

Community members in Puchuncaví and La Greda fear that the opening of the new coal-fired power plant in AES Gener’s Ventanas will create even higher levels of industrial pollution in the already-saturated area. The addition of the new 270 MW plant will make AES Gener’s Ventanas complex the largest coal power plant in Chile, at 885 MW. (El Mercurio de Valparaiso via Terram.cl 3/20/2013)

High energy costs and low water levels are pushing Chilean winemakers to invest in innovative ways to run their wineries. The Morandé winery has installed solar panels at its Añade vineyard, and is assessing the feasibility of using solar energy at other vineyards, too. The De Martino winery says it has already achieved savings by using energy more efficiently, and is looking to optimize insulation and natural light uses. The Montes winery also reports considerable savings after employing various energy efficiency strategies. (Diario Financiero 3/15/2013)

Mexico

The city of Cancun will be host to the 2013 Solar World Congress during November 3-17th this year, making it the first time the congress will be held in a Latin American nation. The 50 year-old Congress will be attended by over 110 countries and organizations, such as the International Agency of Energy and the International Agency of Renewable Energy. At this year’s event, the congress will encourage energy reforms among member countries, pushing governments to make the transition to renewable energies as soon as possible. (Tiempo en Linea 3/20/13)

The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA), the Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) as well as international experts have contacted President Enrique Peña Nieto about the already high and growing mortality rate of sea turtles off the coast of Baja California Sur. According to CEMDA, more than 2,000 turtles died in 2012 – a 600 percent increase from the mortality rates in the past few years – placing it among the highest turtle mortality rates in the world. Many of these deaths can be associated with high levels of accidental kills associated with small-scale fishing in the Gulf of Ulloa. (Hispanically Speaking New 3/13/13)

At the Fourth High Level Dialogue between Mexico and the European Union (EU), Marie-Anne Coninsx, the head of the EU’s delegation, recognized President Peña Nieto for the country’s new environmental policies. Among the advances highlighted in the meeting was Mexico’s recent adoption of the Climate Change Law. At the meeting, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources also announced a new forest program which would plant 180 million trees to increase the awareness among Mexicans of the need to manage forest resources sustainably and rationally. (El Economista 3/19/13).

Regional

Mountainous communities in the Andes have been experiencing climate change’s impacts on glaciers first hand, as melting glaciers are increasingly causing dramatic flooding events that can threaten communities. The Risk Management Office in the Peruvian municipality of Huaraz recently warned that water levels in the glacial Palcacocha Lake are again at record highs, indicating that the lake’s walls –formed by loose rocks and debris—could rupture and cause a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). If it were to happen, the equivalent of 240,000 Olympic swimming pools (approximately 17 million cubic meters of water) would rush down the valley and to the city of Huaraz, home to over 110,000 people. The threat of the GLOF has citizens calling on the government to take preemptive action. (E&E News, Climatewire 3/14/2013)

This article was first published in NRDC Switchboard.

Amanda Maxwell is a born and bred Jersey girl, but has lived for varying amounts of time in Michigan, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, and the Czech Republic before moving to Washington, DC. Prior to joining NRDC she received my Masters degree in International Politics and Economics with a focus in Renewable Energy policy from Charles University in Prague. While there, she gained an appreciation for night running, train travel (especially of the high speed variety), and the local pivo. She received a Bachelors degree in history and Spanish from Middlebury College, and also studied in Buenos Aires.

[Photos: Mexican Sea Turtle by Quiltsalad; Palcacocha Lake courtesy University of Oregon; Puchuncavi La Greda Chile courtesy Prensa.cl]

By Glynna Prentice, International Living

I’m not usually a big fan of popular “resort” destinations. But I make an exception for Tulúm, in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. This little beach town is very easy to like.

In fact, if I had to recommend just one destination in Mexico for beach lovers today, it would be Tulúm. Cards on the table: I own a condo here. But for good reasons, Tulúm is where I chose to invest and where I enjoy visiting. I try to come a couple of times a year with friends or family to spend a week swimming, walking the beach, and exploring. It’s become a favorite for us all. Here’s why…

The beaches around here are among the prettiest I’ve seen anywhere. This is the Caribbean, after all, with its clear, dramatically turquoise water. It’s a feast for the eyes—and, since the water temperature is usually mild, a pleasure to swim in. You can often see fish swimming quite close to shore, all around you. Many people bring or rent snorkeling gear to see them, but honestly, the water is so clear that you don’t need it.

Instead, save the gear for snorkeling off the barrier reef. It’s the second-largest in the world, running from Cancún down to Belize. And at Tulúm it’s just a few hundred yards offshore—in some places you can kayak out to it. Companies in the area also take boatloads of snorkelers and scuba-divers out to it.

And then there’s Tulúm’s inviting ambiance. The town was traditionally a backpackers’ hangout, and it still has that low-key feel.

In the original town of Tulúm, you still find those backpackers. The main drag here is the north-south highway that runs from Cancún to Belize. This road is rife with the speed bumps and tiny roundabouts that you find everywhere in quirky, small-town Mexico.

Hostels, open-air restaurants, and funky shops selling clothing and hammocks line both sides of the street.

Outside of town, along the beach road that runs down to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, fashionistas have replaced the backpackers. And while the feel is still casual and relaxed, the price tags are higher.

Here the road is lined mostly with little restaurants and semi-rustic hotels that back right onto the beach. Buildings—even cabana-style accommodation—often have palapa roofs. As in the main town, few buildings here are more than three stories high, and most are surrounded by jungle, so the feel is small-scale and intimate.

Best of all, the beaches are blissfully uncrowded. Have a cold beer and a plate of ceviche while looking out at the white sand and turquoise water. Only the rhythmic whoosh of the waves breaks the silence…

One thing this beach area isn’t, though, is inexpensive. At least compared to Tulúm’s old backpacker days. The fashion-industry stars have discovered Tulúm, and prices have risen to accommodate their fatter wallets. In season, a palapa-roofed cabana for two people, without air conditioning, can run $150 a night. That may not seem bad for digs where sea breezes blow and you can walk right out onto a first-rate, white-sand beach…but less than 10 years ago, that same cabana might have gone for a third that price. And before that you could have hung a hammock here for $10.

Though you can still ferret out some cheap digs and eats, prices in general are likely to keep going up. Mexico’s government has big plans to develop Tulúm and dramatically increase its tourism. And it’s positioning the area as a high-end destination.

At times I do wonder if success will spoil Tulúm…if it will become too developed and manicured, too expensive, and lose its intimate, slightly bohemian air.

But Mexico has learned a lot since it developed Cancún 40 years ago. Today Mexico prefers low-rise, low-impact tourism…and the kind of upscale tourist it attracts.

In other words, it wants what Tulúm has always offered…

[Photo by Janet Schwartz]