The Representatives of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States or CELAC are currently meeting in Quito.

Representatives of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) are currently meeting in Quito to discuss climate change.

Experts and authorities of the 33 CELAC member countries will discuss the effects of climate change and hope to develop a concrete plan of action for tackling related environmental issues. Debates at the CELAC meeting will centre on themes of biodiversity, climate change, consumption and sustainable production, management of marine and coastal resources, and hydraulic energy.

The group has indicated that it hopes other countries, especially industrialised states, will also take the initiative of addressing these concerns.

For many experts, this meeting of the Caribbean and Latin American states signifies the union of different efforts to respond to environmental problems in the region in the face of general passivity among more industrialised countries.

Ecuador’s minister of the environment, Lorena Tapia, stated that to her the meeting of the CELAC, “is a call to the developed countries” to act amongst pressing climate concerns. She said that the ongoing talks in Quito would allow for the Latin American and Caribbean participants to “join forces, arrange for the related use of political and technical spaces, and thus share positive experiences.”

Tapia stated that the initial results of the meeting have been productive, as CELAC representatives have outlined ideas to be used in the drafting of an official environmental agenda for the international organisation.

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the AMARC-ALC news agency.

The government issued an orange alert, the second highest possible, on Sunday for towns near the Tungurahua volcano. Some towns are being evacuated due to falling ash and the threat of molten rock which has been seen emerging from the crater.

The volcano, located some 135km south of Quito, showed increased activity beginning last Wednesday. At least three moderate explosions were recorded on Sunday morning, sending a plume of ash and gases several kilometres high, according to the National Geophysics Institute. The eruption continued on Monday with more explosions that caused houses and windows to shake in nearby towns.

So far there have no been disruptions to flights in the area, though local seismologists expect explosions to continue in the coming days

Tungurahua, which means ‘throat of fire’ in Quichua, has been active since 1999. At that time, the nearby town of Baños was evacuated, with the 15,000 residents unable to return for almost a year. A red alert was issued in December 2010, forcing mandatory evacuations.

The march for “Water, Life and Dignity” arrived yesterday in the capital city, Quito. The activists, who are protesting against mining activities in Ecuador, are looking to meet with government authorities in order to present them with a list of 19 demands.

The document includes laws on water management and land distribution.

Many social sectors mobilised two weeks ago to reject mining activities in Ecuador. Representatives of the march will be met by the Ecuadorian Minister of Police, Betty Tola, and by the president of the National Assembly, Fernando Cordero.

The march, organised by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE) joined other indigenous marchers from the northern Andes of Ecuador.

Moreover, hundreds of protesters in support of the administration of the Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, also gathered on Thursday in Quito to show their support for the president.

During a previous ceremony in the northeast of Ecuador, the president stated that the government had always been open to dialogue with indigenous leaders.

However, some government officials accused the marchers who oppose state mining policies of intending to stage an electoral coup.

In response to this, Humberto Cholango, the president of CONAIE, stated that the movement is peaceful, and that it does not aim to destabalise Rafael Correa’s government.

Ecuadorian authorities have scheduled different routes to avoid clashes between the two groups who will gather in the central park of El Arbolito and in Plaza de la Independencia.

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar (link to http://www.agenciapulsar.org/), the AMARC-ALC news agency. 

A passenger bus crash north of Quito claimed the lives of at least 28 people today. Authorities say the vehicle was likely speeding, and ran off the road into a ravine. The bus was travelling to a festival in the rural community of Guajara.

Authorities at the National Risk Management reported specifics of the casualties: 15 men, 11 women and 2 children.

Fire chief colonel Marco Antonio Hadathy announced earlier that all of the dead and injured have been evacuated.

“The dead are in the morgue of the Hospital San Vicente de Paul,” he said. Most of the injured were checked into various medical centers in the area, and three were taken to Quito’s severe trauma unit by helicopter.

The bus “hit an embankment, bounced and fell into a ravine twenty feet deep,” Hadathy said to local news sources, adding that the rain was partly to blame. “All the passengers ended up stacked in the cabin of the bus, which kept the wheels up.”

The officer added that he will investigate the causes of the accident, but Fernando Castile, secretary of National Risk Management, told other sources the accident was likely caused by the negligence of the driver.