Estimates from the Health Ministry state that people throw nearly 300 tons of garbage in Costa Rica's streets, sewers, vacant properties and rivers every day.
The proposed construction of a landfill in the canton of Mora, 20 kilometers west of San José, has angered local residents who say they will fight to protect their natural resources. But time is running out.
BERLIN – German auto giant Volkswagen will cut investments by €1 billion euros in 2016, said its chief executive, as the group sought to scale back on spending to cope with its massive pollution cheating scandal.
With an electricity grid supplied by hydroelectric dams across rivers, from the heat of its numerous volcanoes, and from wind and the sun, the small Central American nation expects 97 percent of its energy generation to come from renewable sources this year.
The government's initial proposal was to ban the import of used vehicles older than six years, but the used car industry bargained it up to 14 years. The Environment Ministry said the rule would help the country meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral.
Heavy rains have squelched an effort to draw attention to the country's neglected and often heavily polluted rivers by reviving the tradition of picnicking along the banks.
BERLIN — Volkswagen said irregularities on diesel-emission readings extend to 11 million vehicles around the world, forcing the German carmaker to set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in an initial tally of the potential costs.
