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File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

Boviet Solar Technology Co. has entered into agreement with Vesper Energy, a developer of utility scale renewable energy projects. The PV Module master supply agreement will utilize Boviet Solar's Vega Series™ BVM7612M 545-555-H-HC-BF-DG and BVM7612M 545-550-H-HC-BF-DG Mono-Bifacial PERC Double glass PV modules for Vesper Energy projects located in Texas and Ohio totaling 680 MWAC. 

Westminster council has appointed Siemens to install a network of an additional 500 ubitricity electric vehicle (EV) charge points in the borough by the end of March 2023. he additional charge points are set to grow to the council's impressive existing network of over 1,500 charge points to more than 2,000. The charge points, which are installed directly into existing street lampposts, charge at a speed of up to 5kW and take just under 2 hours to install. The rollout is planned to be installed into key residential and commercial locations, allowing residents to easily charge hybrid and electric vehicles on the street where they live.

Hystar AS has announced that Yara Clean Ammonia has joined the HyPilot project, which will see the first in-field test of Hystar’s 1 MW containerised electrolyser.

The trade association Solar Energy UK has supported a speech by Labour Party leader Keir Starmer at the party’s annual conference, in which Starmer supported solar farms as a key part of UK renewable energy infrastructure.

Research from the latest Startline Used Car Tracker shows that used car buyer interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has risen by about a third since May, with preference for petrol falling.

UK fuel and EV payment company Allstar Business Solutions Limited has announced a strategic partnership with rapid and ultra-rapid charge point network MFG (Motor Fuel Group), which has been added to the company’s expanding network.

Copper Mountain Mining (TSX: CMMC) has announced updated mineral resource and reserve estimates for its 75% owned copper mine located in southern British Columbia. Based on the new reserves, the company has also provided a revised life of mine plan that supports a mill expansion scenario to 65,000 t/d from 45,000 tonnes per day.

The latest update sees the Copper Mountain mine grow its measured and indicated resources to 1.1 billion tonnes averaging 0.22% copper, 0.09 g/t gold and 0.64 g/t silver. Total contained metals of 5.5 billion lb. of copper, 3.4 million oz. of gold and 23.4 million oz. of silver each represent 70%, 68% and 62% increases over the previous estimate.

Included in the resources were proven and probable reserves of 702 million tonnes averaging 0.24% copper, 0.10 g/t gold and 0.71 g/t silver, for 3.7 billion lb. of copper, 2.3 million oz. of gold and 16 million oz. of silver.

Incorporating the updated reserve base, the Copper Mountain mine plan has been extended to 32 years with the 65,000 t/d expansion commencing in 2028. Annual production is projected at 114 million lb. of copper, 54,000 oz. of gold and 367,000 oz. of silver.

The revised life of mine plan also results in robust economics of $1.24 billion in after-tax net present value (at 8% discount), up from its previous estimate of $1.0 billion. The initial capital cost required to increase throughput to 65,000 t/d is estimated to be $237 million.

“These results illustrate the size and scale of the Copper Mountain mine,” says Gil Clausen, Copper Mountain’s president and CEO. “Our large mineral reserves base underpins our updated 65,000 t/d expansion study, which estimates total production of over 4.1 billion lb. of copper-equivalent over a mine life that will extend beyond 30 years.

“Increasing plant capacity to 65,000 t/d requires only modest initial development capital, which is self funded with mine cash flow. In fact, not only is the Copper Mountain mine able to fund capital required over the life of mine, but it is also expected to generate significant free cash flow beyond these requirements. In addition, higher-grade exploration upside remains, particularly at depth, providing further reserve expansion potential,” he adds.

With the new resource update, the company’s total mineral reserve base, including the Eva copper project in Australia, now stands at 5.4 billion lb. of copper and over 2.6 million oz. of gold.

The Copper Mountain mine is located 20 km south of Princeton, BC. Mitsubishi Materials owns the remaining 25% of the project.

Gold rose by nearly 2% on Wednesday as a slight retreat in the dollar rekindled some of its safe-haven appeal, although prospects of sharp rate hikes are still keeping the precious metal near a 2-1/2-year trough.

Spot gold climbed 1.7% to $1,657.00 per ounce by 12:40 p.m. ET, touching its highest in a week and erasing some of the losses from an extended slide that dragged prices down to the lowest since April 2020. US gold futures also advanced 1.7% to trade at $1,664.60 in New York.

[Click here for an interactive chart of gold prices]

Meanwhile, the US dollar retreated after scaling a new two-decade high, making bullion less expensive for overseas buyers. Treasury yields also eased, adding more appeal to the non-yielding bullion.

A pullback in the dollar and yields have “seen gold move off those lows,” said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures, in a Reuters report.

“The factors in regards to Russia and the discussion of annexation… that probably gave a bid to the (gold) market from a safe-haven perspective,” Meger added.

Moscow was poised on Wednesday to annex a swath of Ukraine, releasing what it called vote tallies showing support in four partially occupied provinces to join Russia, after what Kyiv and the West denounced as illegal sham referendums held at gunpoint.

Moreover, “gold is seeing some relief as the UK’s plan to buy long-end Gilts sees yields weaken,” TD Securities said in a note. Still, bullion has failed to benefit from the recent rout in equities and faces headwinds from looming rate hikes, which would raise the opportunity cost of holding the metal.

“It’s all tied together — the same factors that have been weighing on gold have been weighing on equities,” Meger said.

(With files from Reuters)

Stock image.

Global mining and metals executives view environment, social and governance (ESG), geopolitics and climate change as the top three risks facing their business over the next 12 months, according to this year’s ranking of the Top 10 business risks and opportunities for mining and metals in 2023 by EY.

“We’ve witnessed huge upheaval and change over the last year, namely due to the war in Ukraine, climate events, new governments in mining regions and shifting relationships in others — all coming together to drive substantial impact on the sector,” explains Theo Yameogo, Americas mining and metals leader.

“These external factors combined with inflation will continue to shift the sector’s risks and opportunities as pressure form stakeholders and capital markets hold leaders accountable on multiple fronts. Companies that can demonstrate their ability to future-proof their business models to better deal with disruption and changing commercial relationships will ultimately gain a competitive advantage.”

While evidence has shown that mining and metals companies are integrating ESG factors into corporate strategies, decision-making and reporting, survey respondents continued to rank ESG issues as the number one risk to their business, with climate change following closely behind in the third position (see below).

“Net zero is still a focus, but mining and metals companies are also mitigating broader transition and physical risks,” says Yameogo. “Companies must play a role in enabling a just transition — achieving decarbonization targets while considering the long-term impact of mine closures on workers and communities.”

Respondents ranked geopolitics as the second business risk — up from fourth last year, with 72% identifying resource nationalism as the top geopolitical factor likely to impact their operations as governments seek to fill revenue gaps after spending throughout the pandemic and capitalize on higher commodity prices through new or increased mining royalties.

Respondents also listed water stewardship (76%), decarbonization (55%) and green production (35%) as the top issues they expect will face the most scrutiny from investors (see below).

Various external and societal factors such as the impact of Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and rising energy prices have magnified the challenges that have been looming for some time. In response, respondents say they are seeking to improve end-to-end supply chain visibility, leverage technology to improve operations and performance, and be more strategic when analyzing new technologies and supplier portfolios.

“Major disruption and rapidly changing expectations, together, may impact the ability for mining and metals companies to build sustainable value,” Yameogo adds. “Risk mitigation and maximizing opportunity requires companies to make significant changes to their business through a proactive, diversified approach that’s integrated into strategy and broader planning.”

Read the report for more insight into the top risks and opportunities for mining and metals companies.

Arizona Sonoran Copper Company (TSX: ASCU) has delivered an initial mineral resource estimate for the Parks/Salyer (P/S) porphyry copper deposit in Arizona, located immediately southwest to the company’s Cactus project on contiguous private land.

The P/S mineral resource – including oxide, enriched and stockpile material that are all considered amenable to a heap leaching operation – are estimated at 143.6 million tonnes grading 1.015% total copper (for 2.92 billion lb. copper), all in the inferred category.

This brings the company’s total leachable resource inventory (inferred) – comprising both the Cactus open pit and the P/S underground – to 449.9 million tonnes at 0.544% copper (4.89 billion lb. copper). The total indicated resource, which only applies to Cactus, remains at 151.8 million tonnes at 0.531% copper (1.61 billion lb. copper).

Due to the increase in its global mineral resource base, Arizona Sonoran says it will consider the include of oxide and enriched material at P/S in a future technical study incorporating both deposits. Future studies will be based on the expanded leachable inventory, heap leaching and SX/EW process methodology. An integrated technical study is expected to be completed in the next 12-18 months.

George Ogilvie, president and CEO, commented: “The significant increase to our global resource base is a key inflection point in the low-risk development of our existing Cactus project. We have increased our global leachable inventory base by over 100%, and as a result, the company has determined that a full revised study will be considered to produce an integrated business case for Cactus and Parks/Salyer.

“It is clear that the high-grade nature of Parks/Salyer’s mineral resource inventory offers significant potential to increase scale within an integrated operation at conservative copper price estimates.”

Ogilvie added the company will continue advancing its work study programs, specifically metallurgical and geotechnical test work, hydrology, permitting, infill drilling and associated projects, to advance the combined Cactus and P/S project through the technical study phases.

Located near the city of Casa Grande, the Cactus mine project is underpinned by a multi-billion-pound copper resource that would produce 56 million lb. of the metal annually over an estimated 18-year mine life. A preliminary economic assessment for the project outlined an after-tax net present value of $312 million (at 8% discount) and an internal rate of return of 33%.

The P/S deposit is located 2 km southwest from the Cactus open pit along the mine trend and demonstrates the same geological characteristics.

Joy doesn’t pair easily with the climate crisis. Yet, working with others on climate justice, I have felt moments of joy. Especially in youth-led coalitions like the one coordinated by Fridays for Future Toronto (FFFTO) this summer. 

As the youth take on organizing tasks, sometimes for the first time, they show courage and initiative. The tasks aren’t always easy – like talking to groups of adults about climate justice, chairing large meetings with diverse participants and moving actions online. They manage them well though!

At one of the youth-led coalition meetings, for example, I was asked for the first time ever whether I had any accessibility needs. As a person with chronic illness this hit me with a kind of tear-wringing wallup. I was allowed to bring my whole self to the circle. 

This grace, courage and initiative are an absolute joy to witness and support.

Love isn’t always a natural fit with the climate crisis either. But, standing in the open air at climate strike rallies, surrounded by others who choose to lean into shared goals, I have no better word. Love is demonstrated through action; with collective action, it multiplies.

In fact, working in coalition is one of the single, most powerful things we can do. In coalition, we are allies, supporting each other as we hold up our corner of the sky. We are changemakers, giving each other strength to surmount the roadblocks to a better world. 

There is a lot to surmount! In fact, fear is naturally paired with the climate crisis. The consequences scientists, Indigenous peoples and others have warned us about continue to accelerate – our fears play out on high speed.

Disillusion also pairs well with the climate crisis. Despite the mounting consequences, our government approves new oil and gas projects and gives billions in fossil fuel subsidies. Banks also invest billions, funding pipelines that violate Indigenous rights. Wealthy countries fail to provide the help poorer countries need as they face unprecedented drought and floods. 

Actions and choices like these put short-term profit before people.

Youth understand both the threats and the potential for change. At one of the first climate strikes in Toronto, I stood in a small crowd at Queen’s Park as a young girl spoke. She lamented that the endangered animals in her picture books might disappear before she got to see them. 

In 2019, tens of thousands attended the climate strike. Long before the unions, university students, environmentalists and parents arrived though, a child of about nine followed those on the set-up crew around. He asked, “please, how can I help?” 

Since 2019, FFFTO took the organizing pieces they learned and ran with them, coming up with well-articulated pillars and developing a nuanced vision of the interconnected issues that underscore climate justice, like Indigenous, migrant and workers rights.

It’s for all of these reasons – joy, love, fear, disillusion, vision – I feel called to join when FFFTO youth invite adults to the organizing circle.

Many say they take action for their children. For me, who has no children, perhaps I’m taking action for all of these children. I see wisdom beyond their years. I see an anxiety they shouldn’t have to shoulder. Quite simply, I want to help with that, I want them to reach their goals. This is not just a personal or moral motivation though. I’m convinced a collective pursuit of climate justice is the best move for everyone, the best chance for our whole, broken system to heal and re-form.

This time around, I’ve had two moments of joy already. I held a media training day, learning alongside FFFTO youth who shared many ideas and later, tried their hands at writing op-eds and media advisories. Secondly, at the Labour Day parade, I joined volunteers aged about 18-80, who flitted among the marchers, big smiles on their faces, handing out the psychedelic Global Climate Strike posters.

Joy, however, does not pair easily with the climate crisis. Come join FFFTO and allies, the next time we raise a strong, collective voice for climate justice.

The post A whole lot of reasons to come together on climate change appeared first on rabble.ca.

Lion One Metals (TSXV: LIO) has closed its previously announced bought deal financing to raise gross proceeds of approximately C$13.36 million (approximately $9.8 million). A total of 17.35 million units priced at C$0.77 were offered, including 1.11 million units issued to Eight Capital and Canaccord Genuity as partial exercise of their over-allotment options.

Each unit consists of one common share of Lion One and one-half of a one common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant can be exercised at a price of C$1.05 for a period of 36 months following the closing date.

Net proceeds from the offering will be used to advance the Tuvatu gold project, the company’s flagship asset.

Located on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji, Tuvatu is envisioned as a low-cost high-grade underground gold mining operation with exploration upside. The project is fully permitted and is currently in the drilling stage to define and expand the known mineralization, with a view of upgrading the resource model.

The latest Tuvatu resource estimate (June 2014) showed an indicated resource of 1.1 million tonnes at 8.46 g/t gold for 299,500 oz. of gold and an inferred resource of 1.5 million tonnes at 9.70 g/t gold for 468,000 oz. of gold.

The area surrounding Tuvatu gold deposit and resource area is covered by a 3.85 km² special mining lease, with the broader project area covered by over 13,600 hectares of special prospecting licences covering the balance of the Navilawa caldera, an underexplored yet highly prospective 7 km diameter alkaline gold system.

In Canada and many places worldwide, those who pollute the atmosphere must pay. By putting a price on activities that produce greenhouse gas emissions, governments make polluting more expensive and solutions more affordable.

As a Deloitte report puts it, “Carbon pricing reduces transition costs, in line with economic theory, because it acts as a financial incentive for consumers and businesses to modify their energy usage.”

With Phase 1 of Canada’s carbon pricing regime moving to Phase 2 from 2023 to 2030, most people have adjusted and incorporated it into business plans.

But, as with many measures to protect the environment and ourselves, vested interests are set on unravelling carbon pricing and fomenting backlash. That’s unfortunate because, as a powerful tool in the ambition to shift the “market” to cleaner energy sources, Canada’s carbon pricing needs to be strengthened, not stalled or weakened. And it needs to be much tougher on the biggest emitters, including the oil and gas industry, and fairer for Indigenous communities and small businesses.

The International Monetary Fund says 46 countries are pricing emissions and others are considering it.

Sweden’s carbon price, implemented in 1991 at about US$40 a tonne, is now $137, the world’s highest. According to Reuters, the country is a leader in renewable energy use, its 2018 carbon emissions per person were 3.5 tonnes, well below the 6.4 tonne EU average, and it cut emissions by 29 per cent over the past three decades.

Canada has had carbon pricing in all jurisdictions since 2019 (Alberta and B.C. since 2007 and 2008, respectively). It started at $20 per tonne of emissions, and rose to $50 on April 1 this year. It will increase by $15 a year to reach $170 by 2030. Although it varies by jurisdiction, many households get rebates, and revenues are returned to the provinces they came from.

Even with a relatively low price, it’s helped tame transportation emissions that would otherwise have surged, and its effectiveness will increase as it rises.

Canada permits provinces and territories to design their own systems or adopt the federal plan. All have submitted 2023 proposals for review, as required. Those with their own systems must meet minimum national stringency standards to ensure they’re comparable and contribute their fair share of reductions. If a province doesn’t meet the standards or fails to implement a system, the federal scheme will be imposed.

Many experts say Canada will start to see greater benefits as the price rises. “Modelling conducted by Deloitte indicates that a gradual rise in carbon pricing to $170 per tonne in 2030 will drive major emissions reductions, bringing Canada three-quarters of the way to its Paris Agreement target,” with minimal impact on economic performance, Deloitte reports.

Although carbon pricing is widely accepted as a critical tool to help resolve the climate crisis, it faces persistent myths perpetrated by vested interests and some politicians and premiers. One is that it’s a significant factor in surging inflation and affordability issues. Although it’s designed to reduce fossil fuel use, including in transportation, it has a far smaller and more predictable influence on things like rising car costs and volatile gas prices than global events and companies that take advantage of them.

When carefully designed, carbon pricing has little negative economic impact on most individuals, especially those curtailing fossil fuel use by driving less or improving home energy efficiency, for example.

But there’s need for improvement here. In April, environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco released an audit that found Canada hasn’t done enough to ensure the carbon price is applied fairly to the biggest industrial emitters. He also said more exposure is needed on how provincial systems compare to the federal benchmark, and that “grant money to help small businesses become more energy efficient has been slow to roll out.”

Canada’s environment minister must now decide which provincial pollution-pricing schemes meet the grade and which are too weak. He should also close any loopholes and reject requests from provinces and industry for exemptions or further concessions. And all governments should collaborate to support and protect marginalized people in the shift to clean electricity.

Done well, carbon pricing is a proven economic lever to help with a smoother transition to cleaner energy, fewer emissions and better lives.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington. Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.

The post Canada can’t let industry and provinces stall carbon pricing appeared first on rabble.ca.

The Kenney Government will do whatever it can to block Ottawa’s plan to implement stricter firearms regulations that include buying back AR-15 military-style rifles and similar weapons that were banned two years ago, Justice Minister Tyler Shandro sternly vowed on Monday. 

The government is willing to go all the way to stop the “gun grab,” a tired-looking, tieless and rather scruffy Shandro told a news conference, which has been recorded and posted to the Internet for the edification of all. 

This includes, wait for it, going to court – presumably to try to prove that the federal government doesn’t have jurisdiction in federal jurisdiction. (Yeah, that’s what I meant. Read it again if it’s not clear.)

But “all options are on the table!” 

“Alberta has been told that the federal government will use the RCMP to confiscate firearms – as they did during the 2013 floods – when the RCMP seized over 600 firearms during the notorious High River gun grab,” said Shandro’s canned quote in the government’s press release. “Actions taken today will seek to prevent history from repeating itself. Further options are being explored and all options are on the table.”

Like what? Separation? Nuclear weapons?

“The planned confiscations represent a failed approach to reducing violence in Canadian society and are unwarranted and unacceptable infringements on the property rights and personal freedoms of Albertans,” piped up Teri Bryant, Alberta’s “chief firearms officer,” during the newser. 

She was hired to a new position in August 2021 by the Kenney Government, apparently to obstruct the enforcement of federal firearms laws. 

In addition to accusing the Trudeau Government of planning to “confiscate” already-illegal weapons for which it’s willing to pay up to $6,209 ($1,337 for an AR-15), Shandro’s and Bryant’s publicity minions have also sent sent an angry, tendentiously worded letter to other provincial governments, asking them to join The Resistance, and letters to federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and RCMP K Division Commanding Officer Curtis Zablocki blustering about the program. 

In his letters, Shandro repeated the claim popular with the “law abiding firearms community” (Bryant’s phrase) that assault-style weapons were banned “simply because the ‘style’ of the firearm was deemed to be aesthetically displeasing” – never mind the undeniable fact that such appearance is intended to be marketed to immature gun enthusiasts seeking to enhance their fragile machismo. 

So Shandro is clearly trying to pick a fight with the feds to score a point with one of the dark corners of the UCP base just as Premier Jason Kenney attempts to rebrand himself as an elder statesman and dignified advocate of civility. 

Just why they’re trying to do this right now when the Kenney Government is only going to be around for another nine or 10 days, or possibly a couple of weeks at most, is unclear and probably not worth speculating about. 

Shandro has demonstrated talent for picking fights – with doctors, neighbours whose social media posts he didn’t like, and lately legal aid lawyers. Indeed, that seems to be what Kenney chose him to do when he made him health minister in April 2019. 

But despite the ridiculous claims and inflammatory language in yesterday’s press release, this performative effort is highly unlikely to get a rise out of Ottawa. 

I mean, c’mon! There are experienced politicians on the Liberal side in Ottawa. Why would they even bother responding to a pipsqueak like Shandro when there’s a good chance in another couple of weeks he’ll be relegated to the backbenches? 

Indeed, give it a few more months and, if he seeks re-election, the voters of Calgary-Acadia may well bluntly suggest he return to his own practice of law – assuming the Law Society of Alberta lets him after considering whether he broke their Code of Conduct while serving Kenney’s government. 

Shandro’s disciplinary hearing is scheduled to take place Oct. 17-19.

In other words, the reaction in Ottawa, and in provincial capitals other than Regina as well, is likely to be summarized as follows: Pffffffft! 

Well, give Shandro credit for one thing – at least he’s threatening to challenge a law he disagrees with in the courts. 

That may not be very likely to succeed, but at least it doesn’t show utter contempt for the rule of law like the candidate most likely to be sworn in as unelected premier of Alberta when Kenney leaves the building on Oct. 6 or soon thereafter.

The post ‘All options on table’ to block federal gun buy-back, vows Tyler Shandro appeared first on rabble.ca.

Vancouver-based Foran Mining’s (TSXV: FOM) executive chairman and CEO Dan Myerson doesn’t want to build just one mine. He has designs on creating Canada’s next copper mining camp in the Prairies.

Foran has had a busy year as it advances the McIlvenna Bay copper-zinc-gold project in Saskatchewan, which it says will be the world’s first zero-carbon operation. It released a positive feasibility study for the project in February that outlined a long-life underground mine producing 38.8 million lb. copper, 63.6 million lb. zinc, 20,000 oz. of gold and 486,000 oz. of silver annually for its first 15 years. It received its permits for an advanced exploration decline to do bulk sampling for metallurgical testing, which Myerson told The Northern Miner has so far confirmed the company’s assumed mineralogy and metallurgy for the project.

In July, the company inked a deal with Sandvik to supply it with an electric battery underground vehicle fleet. A month later it announced an investment from a major Canadian pension fund.

The camp at Foran Mining’s McIlvenna Bay polymetallic project in Saskatchewan. Credit: Foran Mining

It has also put out a flurry of positive drill results over the course of the year. In June the company reported a near-mine discovery at its Tesla zone, where it encountered 200 metres of continuous massive and disseminated sulphides with 12.4 metres at 1.8% copper equivalent, including 1.2 metres at 8.3% copper equivalent and 5.4 metres at 3.3% copper equivalent among its initial assay results. Also in June, it reported positive assay results from its Bigstone and Marconi sites, including an intercept of 21 metres at 3.6 % copper.

Myerson said the company has chosen to be aggressive with continued exploration to build its long-term project pipeline. “We’re trying to create the next copper mining camp in Canada. So to do that you have to start exploration now, and we’ve ramped that up,” he said.  

Sportswash is always an own goal Channel Comment brendan 28th September 2022 Teaser Media

Researchers at the University of Bern, the University of Queensland and other institutions demonstrated that 21 highly-active metal compounds containing cobalt, nickel, rhodium, palladium, silver, europium, iridium, platinum, molybdenum and gold can be used to treat fungal infections.

In a paper published in the journal JACS Au, the scientists explain that, globally, more than 1 billion people contract a fungal infection and that although they are harmless to most, over 1.5 million patients die each year as a result of such infections.

According to the group led by Angelo Frei, despite more and more fungal strains becoming resistant to one or more of the available drugs, the development of new drugs has come to a virtual standstill in recent years. This lack of interest is what inspired him and his colleagues to look into using metals to breathe new life into the search for treatments.

“The opinion that metals are fundamentally harmful to us is widespread. However, this is only partially true. The decisive factor is which metal is used and in which form,” Frei said in a media statement. “Many of the metal compounds [tested] demonstrated a good activity against all fungal strains and were up to 30,000 times more active against fungi than against human cells.”

The researcher said that out of the 21 compounds, the 11 most active ones were tested in a model organism, the larvae of the wax moth. Only one of the metal compounds showed signs of toxicity, while the others were well tolerated by the larvae. In a subsequent step, some metal compounds were tested in an infection model, and one compound effectively reduced the fungal infection in larvae.

“Our hope is that our work will improve the reputation of metals in medical applications and motivate other research groups to further explore this large but relatively unexplored field,” Frei said.

“If we exploit the full potential of the periodic table, we may be able to prevent a future where we don’t have any effective antibiotics and active agents to prevent and treat fungal infections.”

Brazilian voters head to the polls this weekend to pick their next head of state, with a choice between right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula, a former union leader from the country’s left-wing Workers’ Party and past president of Brazil. 

After a tumultuous first term, Bolsonaro, commonly referred to in the media as the “Trump of the tropics,” faces an uphill battle for reelection — with major implications for the Amazon rainforest and climate policy worldwide. 

According to recent polling from the group IPEC, Lula has been picking up steam in the final days of the campaign, solidifying a significant lead. Some 48 percent of polled voters said they currently support Lula; just 31 percent back Bolsonaro. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote on October 2, the election goes to a runoff on October 30. IPEC’s polling indicates that if the election were to take place today, Lula would likely receive 52 percent of the valid vote — after deducting null ballots — which points to a possible first-round victory.

Elected in 2018, Bolsonaro ran on a platform of pro-extraction, anti-Indigenous initiatives. Since taking office, he has stopped all Indigenous land titling, promoted land grabbing, and encouraged the opening of lands to mining, drilling, and agribusiness. He also appointed anti-environmentalist staff to regulatory agencies across the federal government and prevented enforcement of environmental policy. 

“What Bolsonaro did was completely dismantle Brazilian environmental protections and rendered the environmental ministry all but useless,” said Claudio Angelo, head of climate policy and communications at Observatório do Clima, a group of 77 organizations that do research and advocacy around climate change in Brazil. 

Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have gone up during Bolsonaro’s time in office, jumping 73 percent above 2018 levels by 2021 — a trend expected to continue, if not escalate, again this year. Between 2010 and 2021, illegal mining increased on Indigenous lands by 632 percent, with the most drastic increases occurring under Bolsonaro’s watch.

This environmental legacy, combined with high inflation rates and unemployment, soaring fuel prices, and the country’s widely criticized response to the COVID-19 pandemic, left Bolsonaro vulnerable to losing his reelection.

Lula was the president of Brazil for two terms between 2003 and 2010, and is generally viewed as having a better track record on environmental issues, though not without some flaws.

During his tenure, government agencies coordinated to reduce deforestation in Brazil by over 70 percent. Under Lula, the country also advocated for climate mitigation and adaptation funding from wealthy members of the United Nations, and secured international funding for Amazon conservation efforts. He was imprisoned for corruption charges in 2018, but in March of last year, the country’s Supreme Court annulled the convictions against him, ruling that the court that convicted him did not have jurisdiction to try him, thus restoring his political right to run for office.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s former president, greets supporters outside of the Sindicato dos Metalurgicos do ABC, a metalworkers union, on November 9, 2019 in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. Pedro Vilela/Getty Images

In his current campaign, the former president has spoken out against the destruction of the Amazon, promising to put an end to illegal mining and fight organized networks driving deforestation. But he will face challenges — many ranchers, farming companies, loggers, miners, and land speculators have been emboldened by Bolsonaro’s rhetoric and policies. Plus, Angelo adds, in contrast to his first tenure, they are now heavily armed as Bolsonaro has relaxed gun control laws. 

“I think that Lula is very cautious to understand that this is a huge challenge and is completely different than it was in the past,” Izabella Teixeira, Lula’s campaign adviser on environmental issues and Brazil’s former environment minister, told New Scientist.

While Lula has voiced support for the transition to clean energy, he has also said he would expand oil production, particularly of the “pre-salt,” a reserve of petroleum off the coast of Brazil. While Brazil gets most of its electricity from hydropower, it is also Latin America’s top producer of oil. 

During his presidency, environmentalists criticized Lula and his successor, Dilma Roussef, also of the Workers’ Party, for building the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, which displaced and impacted water flows for the Juruna tribe and several other Indigenous communities that had lived in the region for generations. More recently, activists decried Lula’s support for reconstructing the BR-319 highway through the Amazon. Two weeks ago, the former president’s environment minister, Marina Silva, who resigned in 2008 over objections to hydroelectric dam permitting, endorsed his candidacy after he agreed to implement a list of environmental policies that she proposed. 

“Lula in 2022 is a different animal,” said Angelo. “He understands that Brazil’s international credibility relies on being a leader in the climate arena. And with Marina Silva’s proposals, we can now say that he is the candidate with the most advanced environmental package.”

As the country heads into election weekend, and threats against female, Indigenous, and Afro-Brazilian candidates intensify, many residents and policy experts have expressed concerns that Bolsonaro and his supporters might refuse to accept electoral defeat.

“Bolsonaro represents the continuation of authoritarianism and of people who think like him, that share a love of the military dictatorship and were not happy with democratization,”  Lilia Schwarcz, a senior lecturer of anthropology at the University of São Paulo, told the Washington Post. “Now they are emboldened to express these views.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline In Brazil’s presidential election, the fate of the Amazon is at stake on Sep 28, 2022.