Investigation. Anglo American’s error undermines its promise of no glacier impacts for $3bn Chilean copper project / Desmog
For the last year I have been investigating a local glacier contamination story, with an impact that is experienced by Santiago’s 7million.
When mining company Anglo American released a “Fake News” statement partly in response to my previous investigation into the CO2 emissions associated with their Los Bronces operations, they added that their glacier contamination was “less than 10% of the Swiss norm.”
I followed up with the Swiss Office for the Environment and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research. The finding was that the ambient limit values for glacier contamination that the mining company has been using to justify current operations and their future Los Bronces Integrado expansion – don’t apply to glaciers at all.
Following the publication of the article, the local mayor Cristóbal Lira announced an investigation into the compliance by Anglo American with its environmental commitments.
I would like to express deep thanks to the glaciologists, air pollution scientists, environmental lawyers, NGOs and members of Chilean civil society who supported this investigation.
You can read the article here as originally published by DeSmog; or here for Chilean investigative news site Interferencia, in Spanish.
Chile’s crisis set to reframe UN climate conference – Geographical
Climate change is affecting the world’s most vulnerable. The protests over inequality and corruption in Chile have deep roots and connection with environmental destruction. Before the cancellation of the pivotal UN climate change conference in Santiago, I asked how the spotlight on inequality could reframe the focus of the global summit.
Read the article for Geographical published here.
Chile’s “Sacrifice Zones” – Geographical
The Chilean President collected a prize for his commitments to tackling climate change this September, then almost as he stepped off the stage appeared to backtrack on his promise to close coal plants that leave children excreting blood in the coastal sacrifice zones. The day the socio-economic riots began in Chile, I headed to Quintero to meet the people affected by the President’s environmental hypocrisy.
Read the story for Geographical magazine.
Investigation of Anglo American mining – DeSmogUK
Over the course of five months in 2019 I investigated the multi national mining company Anglo American, analysing the carbon and social impact of their $3bn project to begin copper extraction from beneath the Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary.
You can continue reading the investigation at DeSmogUK
Also published in Spanish at Interferencia.cl
Analysis of Chile’s Decarbonisation / Reuters
SANTIAGO, June 8 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Chile’s new climate change plan, unveiled by President Sebastian Piñera this week, puts the host of this year’s U.N. climate conference on track to play its part in meeting globally agreed goals to limit warming of the planet, researchers said.