The UK Foreign Office has advised travellers of disturbances that are expected to take place in Tarija, Sucre, La Paz and El Alto between the 16th and 23rd of November.
The full bulletin can be read here.
What effects a fuel crisis can have
November 17, 2007 By 1 Comment
Bolivian truckers and farmers are facing problems with their businesses as a result of fuel reforms, according to this article on the BBC News website, and they are blaming President Evo Morales and his reforms.
They say that the reforms, which included nationalising refineries last year, have cause shortages at the pumps. Hence a trucker cannot get enough diesel for one day’s work and farmers cannot get enough to run their machines.
One theory is that the fuel is so cheap, that it is being smuggled our of the country. The report claims that armed border guards are not trying to prevent this, whilst fuel is having to be imported from Venezuela to meet demands (or not, as the case my be).
A petrol station in Sucre – without the queues – in July 2000
In the past, Bolivia has benefited from pipelines exporting resources such as gas to other countries in South America.
What has gone so terribly wrong, that it is now unable to provide enough fuel for it’s own people? The knock-on effects are simple – if a farmer cannot harvest his crops and a trucker cannot deliver the produce then it is only a matter of time before there are shortages throughout the country in the shops and markets. At that point it will be traders and consumers who also start to suffer…
Are emissions in Germany rising?
November 17, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Are CO2 emissions in Germany still rising? They are according to this article on the BBC News website.
But why? Why, with so much technology available to reduce emissions, are some manufacturers building cars that put out more CO2 than previous models?
I think the answer is quite simply: because people are prepared to buy them. If more people took notice of the CO2 values of the cars that they are buying, then I am sure that the manufacturers would react by developing cars with reduced emissions – or with with alternative fuels.
I also think that the last thing the EU should do is to give the manufacturers more time! It really is amazing to think that I am already driving a car with the intention of doing what some companies will not even manage in the next 5 years – and now want an extension to 8!
It’s time for German consumers to take a stand and force these large companies to do their bit for the environment. If they don’t build low-emission cars, then we can’t drive them!
