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21st Aug 12:56 AM AEST
Chilean court asks BHP’s Cerro Colorado mine to stop pumping water from an aquifer
Source: © Intst | Megapixl.com
A Chilean court on Thursday ordered the Cerro Colorado copper mine of BHP Group (ASX:BHP) to stop pumping water from an aquifer on environmental concerns.
- The same First Environmental Court earlier in July ruled that the country’s small copper mines must start again on an environmental plan for a maintenance project.
- As a precautionary measure, the court on Thursday ceased groundwater extraction for 90 days from an aquifer, located near the mine.
- The measures taken were appropriate to prevent the adverse effects of pumping water.
- Copper mines in Chile have been forces to find an alternative measure to feed water into the mining operations.
- BHP will evaluate the course of action based on the instrument provided by the legal framework.
- Cerro Colorado produced nearly 1.2% of Chile's total copper output in 2020.
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21st Aug 12:26 AM AEST
"WeThe15" campaign initiated before Paralympics
Source: © Prazis | Megapixl.com
The "WeThe15" campaign, which has been running for a decade, aims to promote the empowerment and rights of the world's 1.2 billion individuals with disabilities, representing 15% of the planet's population.
The campaign, endorsed by a broad range of world groups and led by paralympic chiefs, was launched less than a week before the Tokyo Paralympics which is all set to start from 24 August.
Moreover, discrimination against people with impairments is being addressed through this global campaign.
The International Paralympic Committee's head, Andrew Parsons stated,
IPC chief brand and communications officer Craig Spence said,
The campaign has received backing from celebrities ranging from former player David Beckham to talk show queen Oprah Winfrey. The Invictus Games Foundation, formed by Prince Harry, is also engaged.
However, the campaign was planned to last a decade, concentrating on a different aspect of inequality suffered by individuals with disabilities, such as in education and employment.
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21st Aug 12:24 AM AEST
After COVID-19, Legionnaires' disease haunts Victoria
Source: © Jarun011 | Megapixl.com
After detecting two confirmed cases of Legionnaires' illness in Melbourne's southeast, Victoria's health authorities are probing the cause of the outbreak.
Outbreaks are likely related to manufactured water systems in Australia, like spa baths and water-cooling towers.
The legionella bacteria, which can be found in natural water bodies such as hot springs, creeks, lakes, and rivers, causes Legionnaires' disease, which is a kind of pneumonia.
Muscle aches, cough, fever, and headache are all symptoms that are identical to COVID-19. Anyone could become sick mere by inhaling droplets of water which contains the bacteria. It can no longer be contracted from another person or by drinking polluted water.
In a statement, the Department of Health said,
While this is a relatively prevalent form of bacteria in the environment, only a few people who come into touch with it become sick. The list of those who are at extreme risk is as follows:
- Drinker
- Smoker
- Elderly People age over 65
- Those who have been suffering from a medical disease like kidney failure, chronic lung disease, cancer or diabetes.
Meanwhile, the health department is still probing the cause of the outbreak.
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21st Aug 12:18 AM AEST
Biden administration plans to continue the review of federal land coal leases
Source: © Americanspirit | Megapixl.com
Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration plans to identify the climate change impacts of federal land coal sales.
- Coal was the main fuel in the country, used in power plants for the generation of electricity; however, lower natural gas prices lowered the usage of coal in the last decade, making it less competitive.
- Nearly 42% of the country’s coal production is based on federal lands, as per the Interior Department data. The federal coal program generated US$377.7 million in revenue last year relative to US$1.0 billion in 2015.
- The review work will be continued from the point where a previous analysis of Barack Obama's tenure was left off.
- Donald Trump, a Republican shelved the review on the back of providing justice to fossil fuel development on federal lands.