Chile

Starting things off with a bang, Chile declared a permanent ban on whaling on the opening day of the International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting. The Pacific Ocean-bordering country is playing host to the conference, where tensions are running high.

A volcano has erupted in southern Chile, causing about 150 people to be evacuated from the immediate area.

Chile is providing its poorest households with energy-efficient CFLs in exchange for their incandescents -- and paying for the program with carbon credits. Chilean & IDB officials say its the first CDM project in Latin America and the Caribbean involving energy efficiency in households, but not the last!

The Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO) this year is co-financing 53 new renewable energy projects, 13 more than it did in 2006. Of these, 29 are wind energy projects, 14 hydraulic power, five geothermal, two biomass and three biogas.