Global Warming in Argentina
Argentine Glacier Sheds Ice in Rare Winter Breakup - 7/10/08
Part of Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier collapsed on Wednesday, the first time large chunks of ice have broken off during the southern hemisphere winter.
Park wardens said global warming might be responsible. The Patagonian glacier known as the "White Giant" is one of Argentina's biggest attractions. The river of ice 18 miles (30 km) long ends in a sheer wall blocking Lago Argentino where large pieces tumble into the water from time to time.
"It's the first time the glacier's broken in winter (since records began)," park warden Carlos Corvalan said earlier this week, when the glacier started to crack.
Argentina's Glaciers Park is home to more than 200 glaciers and is the biggest continental ice extension in the world after Antarctica, according to the park's Web site.
Global Warming May Aggravate Argentine Energy Woes - 10/8/07
The effects of global warming could worsen Argentina's energy crunch in the coming years as water levels fall at some dams, and renewable options are costly and scarce, government officials said on Monday.
Less precipitation has been falling in some areas along the Andes mountain range in Argentina, lowering water levels at key hydroelectric plants in the Comahue region of Patagonia, for example.
This phenomenon could continue with average temperatures expected to rise by one degree during the 2020-2040 period, according to a study on climate change that Argentina will submit to the United Nations.
"Humanity is looking downward for energy and it should be looking upward," Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti said, referring to the focus on underground reserves of oil and natural gas rather than on solar and wind power.
Argentina's power system is comparatively clean with about 50 percent of electricity coming from hydroelectric plants, 40 percent from combined-cycle plants that run mostly on natural gas, and 8 percent from nuclear reactors.
Warning About the Need to Fight Global Warming in Argentina - 6/2/07
The level of "Argentina's greenhouse gas emissions are an average of the world's emissions" explained the energy and climate change coordinator of Friends of the Earth Argentina, Roque Pedace.
The Argentine environmentalist urged the citizens to "take part in politics". "If there is no policy change, individual efforts will not suffice", he said.
Increasing sea levels is one of the consequences of global warming, due to the melting of glaciers. The report of the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change estimated that the sea levels would raise between 19 and 58 centimeters during this century, which endangers the people who live few meters above the sea level, usually in small islands.
"The problem is that there is great uncertainty over the possible impact of the melting of glaciers in the Antarctica and Greenland", Pedace said in the interview. "If Greenland melted completely, water would raise up to 7 meters, affecting millions of people", the environmentalist added.
He emphasized that "for instance, Buenos Aires would have to be evacuated. We would have severe impacts all over the Samborombon River's basin and the estuary of the River Plate".
Other Countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom.
