On January 23, members of the Patagonia Defense Council delivered international letters to Eleodoro Matte, urging the head of the Matte Group to withdraw from thel HidroAysen Project that would dam wild rivers in Patagonia. The internacional letters were sent by Global Response members in the US, England, Switzerland, Holland, Canada, Australia, Spain and New Zealand.
By Aviva Imhof - Special to The Bee
How to generate electricity without selling out the climate is one of the pressing issues facing humanity today. But don't worry; the international hydropower industry says it has the situation covered. It's using the threat of global warming as a pretext for promoting a new generation of big dams in developing countries.
Pascua, Chile -- Aaron Sanger surveyed the dramatic stretch of Patagonian backcountry that spread beneath him, gazing down at the turbulent Pascua River as it raged through an unsullied landscape of majestic glaciers, snowcapped peaks and temperate rain forests.
"No more than a handful of people have explored this valley - ever," said Sanger, a Berkeley environmentalist.
On March 15, the United Nations General Assembly voted 170–4 to create a new Human Rights Council, effectively dissolving the oft-criticized Commission on Human Rights. Candidates for the Council will need to be elected by an absolute majority of 96 votes in order to secure a position, and once elected members can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.
On August 20th, 2003 Global Response reported that the Canadian company Noranda yesterday withdrew its Environmental Impact Assessment for its Alumysa Project in the Aisen region of southern Chile. Chilean environmental organizations say the company knew its EIA would not be approved, especially after President Ricardo Lagos publicly criticized the project last week.
On January 17th, 2003 Global Response reported that letters and local and national opposition in Chile contributed toward a decision by the Regional Environmental Commission (COREMA) to require Canadian mining company Noranda Inc. to submit new information on the potential environmental impacts of its Alumysa aluminum plant, proposed for construction in the pristine Aisen region of Patagonia.
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