U$A

West's 'hot drought' is unprecedented in more than 500 years

by Alan Halaly, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

There's no precedent in at least five centuries for how hot and dry the West has been in the last two decades, new research asserts using analysis of tree rings.

The study, published in late January, adds to an ever-growing slew of research that suggests human-caused climate change is warming the earth in ways never seen before. It furthers other research like one study, published last year, that showed the West's conditions over the last 20 years are the driest in 1,200 years because of climate change.

Extreme heat and dry conditions amplify one another—a positive feedback loop climate scientists call "hot drought."

Findings show, however, that hot drought has never been this severe, making future projections and mitigation measures more unclear, said Karen King, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville assistant professor and lead author of the study.

These conclusions have important implications for Nevada, the nation's driest state that largely depends on the shrinking availability of the Colorado River, and the Southwest as a whole.

"When you have these compound extreme climatic events, the consequences are also compounded," King said. "With this increased association of heat and drought, it almost makes it more uncertain: Are we going to be able to predict when this mega-drought ends?"

Scientists looked at how long and wide tree rings are to catch a glimpse into temperatures dating back to 1553. Denser rings generally signal warmer temperatures, while less dense rings show cooler ones, she said.

Recent technological advancements in the field of dendrology, or the study of tree rings, made the study possible. Rather than using expensive and time-consuming X-rays to measure ring density as developed in the '90s, researchers can now manipulate light to do so.

Recording the amount of reflected blue light in each annual ring gives scientists a better picture of density—a much safer, easier and less costly method.

"Where we could do better is trying to understand how the frequency of compound climate extremes in the modern century compares to the past," King said. "This is a good step forward."

The study is just the start of understanding temperature changes throughout history, said David Meko, professor of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona, who wasn't involved in the study.

Though there's much in the field left to explore, he said, the study expands previous understanding of hot drought with the help of new technology.

"This is something that, without having any kind of triggering variable, can give us input on temperature and let us understand the climate footprint of these droughts," Meko said.

In the future, Meko said, scientists will work toward finding ways to understand winter temperature lows and gather an idea of how much snowmelt there may have been across centuries.

Historical heat analysis, though, is vital to help people grasp how human-caused climate change is affecting temperatures today, he said.

"Whatever stress is caused by low precipitation or even mildly low precipitation is going to cause greater stress on the planet because of rising temperatures," Meko said.

More information: Karen E. King et al, Increasing prevalence of hot drought across western North America since the 16th century, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj4289

Journal information: Science Advances 

2024 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Study shows hot droughts in the western US have become more common over the past five centuries

UPDATES

Wildfires scorch central Chile, death toll tops 110

by Javier TORRES with Paula BUSTAMANTE in Santiago

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

Chile's wildfires of early February 2024 have been the country's deadliest disaster since a 2010 earthquake.

The death toll from central Chile's blazing wildfires climbed to at least 112 people on Sunday, after President Gabriel Boric warned the number would rise "significantly" as teams search gutted neighborhoods.

Responders continued to battle fires in the coastal tourist region of Valparaiso amid an intense summer heat wave, with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend.

Abraham Mardones, a welder who fled his burning home in Vina del Mar, told AFP he narrowly escaped the fast-paced inferno that raged over a hillside Friday and through several blocks of the seaside city.

"We looked out again and the fire was already on our walls. It took only 10 minutes. The entire hill burned," he said.

"The fire consumed everything—memories, comforts, homes. I was left with nothing but my overalls and a pair of sneakers that were given to me as a gift," Mardones told AFP. "I could only rescue my dog."

Upon his return on Sunday, he said he found several neighbors who had died in the flames.

Friends passed by driving a truck "carrying the burned bodies of their brother, their father, their daughter."

The Interior Ministry said late Sunday that the medical examiner's office had received 112 dead victims, 32 of whom have been identified, and that there are 40 fires still active in the country.

President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency as fires rage across parts of central and southern Chile.

Speaking earlier in Quilpue, a devastated hillside community near Vina del Mar, Boric had said the death toll was 64 but "we know it is going to increase significantly," adding it was the country's deadliest disaster since a 2010 earthquake and tsunami that killed 500 people.

Vina del Mar mayor Macarena Ripamonti told reporters "190 people are still missing" in the city.

"Not a single house was left here," retiree Lilian Rojas, 67, told AFP of her neighborhood near the Vina del Mar botanical garden, which was also destroyed in the flames.

Dead victims in the streets

Boric, who met with fire survivors at a Vina del Mar hospital Sunday, has declared a state of emergency, pledging government support to help people get back on their feet.

According to national disaster service SENAPRED, nearly 26,000 hectares (64,000 acres) had been burned across the central and southern regions by Sunday.

Vehicles and homes burn during a fire in Viña del Mar, Chile, on February 2, 2024.

Supported by 31 firefighting helicopters and airplanes, some 1,400 firefighters, 1,300 military personnel and volunteers are combating the flames.

SENAPRED chief Alvaro Hormazabal, noting the dozens of blazes still burning out of control, said weather "conditions are going to continue to be complicated."

Authorities have imposed a curfew, while thousands in the affected areas were ordered to evacuate their homes.

In the hillsides around Vina del Mar, AFP reporters saw entire blocks of houses that were burned out.

Some of the dead were seen lying on the road, covered by sheets.

'Inferno'

The fires, raging for days, forced authorities on Friday to close the road linking the Valparaiso region to the capital Santiago, about 1.5 hours away, as a huge mushroom cloud of smoke impaired visibility.

Images posted online from trapped motorists showed mountains in flames at the end of the famous "Route 68" leading to the Pacific coast.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric (C) visits patients affected by the wildfires at a hospital in Vina del Mar on February 4, 2024.

According to Interior Minister Carolina Toha, the weekend blazes have been "without a doubt" the deadliest fire event in Chile's history.

"This was an inferno," Rodrigo Pulgar, from the town of El Olivar, told AFP. "I tried to help my neighbor... my house was starting to burn behind us. It was raining ash."

During his Sunday address, Pope Francis, a native of neighboring Argentina, called for prayers for the "dead and wounded in the devastating fires in Chile."

The fires are being driven by a summer heat wave and drought affecting the southern part of South America caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, as scientists warn that a warming planet has increased the risk of natural disasters such as intense heat and fires.

© 2024 AFP

Chile battles forest fires in deadliest disaster in 14 years

Bloomberg News | February 4, 2024 

Firefighters working in Valparaiso, Chile on February 4, 2024. 

(Image by President Gabriel Boric’s press team, X.)

Authorities in Chile’s Valparaiso region extended stay-at-home orders as forest fires continue to rage into Sunday. At least 99 people have been killed in the country’s deadliest disaster since a massive earthquake in 2010.


Blazes that began on Friday spread through bushland and into populated areas on the edge of the coastal city of Viña del Mar, about 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Santiago, fed by blustering wind and high temperatures.

Power and water services have been disrupted, causing Chile’s second-largest oil refinery to halt operations. Authorities said the fires may have been intentionally lit.

“It’s evident that it was intentional” because four separate fires started simultaneously in the same forest, Valparaíso Governor Rodrigo Mundaca told reporters Sunday.

President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency in the Valparaiso region late Friday. The government announced a 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. curfew in major cities in the area including Viña del Mar to make it easier for rescue vehicles and equipment to get through.

The government estimates that between 3,000 and 6,000 hectares (7,413 and 14,826 acres) and 3,000 homes have been razed so far, with at least 1,600 people occupying shelters as authorities and NGOs start relief efforts. More than 300 people are still unaccounted for, according to officials.

Enap, Chile’s state-owned energy company, halted operations at its second-biggest oil refinery after wildfires caused power cuts. The Aconcagua plant on the country’s central coast was placed in a what’s known as a safe position to begin gradually restarting operations, a company official said in text messages late Saturday.

The transport of copper from the large Los Bronces mine in central Chile has been unaffected by the fires, according to operator Anglo American Plc. Codelco, with its nearby Andina mine, also said its operations are unaffected.

Finance Minister Mario Marcel has said reconstruction will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Boric, who visited the area, declared two days of national mourning starting Monday.

(By James Attwood and Andrea Jaramillo)

Chile wildfires kill at least 51 in 'unprecedented catastrophe'

by Javier TORRES with Paula BUSTAMANTE in Santiago

FEBRUARY 4, 2024

President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency as fires rage across parts of central and southern Chile.

Wildfires blazing across Chile have killed at least 51 people, leaving bodies in the street and homes gutted, with flames continuing to spread on Sunday and the toll expected to rise.

President Gabriel Boric has decreed a state of emergency in the central and southern parts of the country "due to catastrophe," as dry conditions and temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) exacerbated the crisis.

Dense gray smoke blanketed the city of Vina del Mar of the Valparaiso tourist region, along central Chile's coastline, forcing residents to flee.

Rosana Avendano, a 63-year-old kitchen assistant, was away from home when the fire began to sweep through El Olivar, an area of Vina del Mar, where she lives with her husband.

"It was terrible because I couldn't get (to my house). The fire came here... we lost everything," Avendano told AFP.

"My husband was lying down and began to feel the heat of the fire coming and he ran away."

She feared the worst for hours, but eventually was able to contact her spouse.

The death toll rose to 51 on Saturday as firefighters battled to control the flames. The forensic medical service had previously reported 45 deaths, but "there are six more people who died in health care facilities," according to interior under-secretary Manuel Monsalve.

Firefighters at work in the hills of Valparaiso region on February 3, 2024.

Boric said the number of victims would increase, pledging government support to help people get back on their feet.

Authorities imposed a curfew beginning at 9:00 pm Saturday (0000 GMT Sunday), to allow emergency supplies—especially fuel—into the affected areas.

New evacuation orders were issued, though it remained unclear exactly how many people had been told to leave.

Earlier Saturday, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said there had been 92 fires as of noon, with 43,000 hectares (106,000 acres) burned across the country. Firefighters were still battling 29 of the blazes by the afternoon, while 40 had been brought under control.

In the hillsides around the coastal city of Vina del Mar, entire blocks of houses were burned out overnight, AFP reporters saw Saturday morning, as thousands of people who had previously evacuated returned to find their homes destroyed.

Some of the dead were seen lying on the road, covered by sheets.

Aerial view of the aftermath of a fire in the hills around Vina del Mar, Chile.

The area, about 1.5 hours northwest of the capital Santiago, is a popular tourist destination during the summer months. The coastal region is also important for the country's wine, agricultural and logging industries.

In the towns of Estrella and Navidad, southwest of the capital, the fires burned nearly 30 homes, and forced evacuations near the surfing resort of Pichilemu.

"It's very distressing, because we've evacuated the house but we can't move forward," said 63-year-old Yvonne Guzman, who fled her home in Quilpue with her elderly mother, only to be trapped in traffic for hours.

"There are all these people trying to get out and who can't move," she told AFP.

Vina del Mar Mayor Macarena Ripamonti said, "We're facing an unprecedented catastrophe, a situation of this magnitude has never happened in the Valparaiso region."

A man douses a burned building with water in Quilpe, where wildfires blazed through the night.

'Extreme'

Several thousand hectares have burned in Valparaiso alone, according to CONAF, the Chilean national forest authority.

Images from trapped motorists have gone viral online, showing mountains in flames at the end of the famous "Route 68," a road traveled by thousands of tourists to reach the Pacific coast.

In addition to Valparaiso, firefighters and emergency services personnel were battling blazes in the center and south of Chile, including O'Higgins, Maule, Biobio, La Araucania and Los Lagos.

"This was an inferno," Rodrigo Pulgar, who lost his home in the inland town of El Olivar, told AFP. "I tried to help my neighbor... my house was starting to burn behind us. It was raining ash."

On Friday, authorities closed the road linking Valparaiso to the capital Santiago, as a huge mushroom cloud of smoke "reduced visibility."

The fires have enveloped Valparaiso in a thick mushroom cloud of smoke.

The fires are being driven by a summer heat wave and drought affecting the southern part of South America caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, as scientists warn that a warming planet has increased the risk of natural disasters such as intense heat and fires.

As Chile and Colombia battle rising temperatures, the heat wave is also threatening to sweep over Paraguay and Brazil.

In Argentina, brigades from several provinces have been fighting a fire that has consumed more than 3,000 hectares in Los Alerces National Park, famed for its beauty and biodiversity, since January 25.

© 2024 AFP

 

Heat wave risk hovers over Paris Olympics

by Julien MIVIELLE, Adam PLOWRIGHT

Athletes push themselves to the limit, as seen here at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were

 the hottest on record.

Scorching summer heat is hard to imagine now in mid-winter Paris, but in six months when the world's athletes arrive for the Olympics, another pounding heat wave would spell trouble for organizers.

A new study presenting "climate simulations to anticipate worst-case heat waves during the Paris 2024 Olympics" has focused minds after it warned that the French capital faced a not insignificant risk of record-breaking high temperatures.

The research, published in December in the Npj Climate and Atmospheric Science journal, looked at the risk of a two-week heat wave that would surpass the all-time record hot spell seen in Paris in 2003.

"In 20 years, the climate has changed and the idea was to warn policymakers that something even worse than 2003 could happen, that it's possible," lead author Pascal Yiou told AFP.

"In the 20th century, it wasn't possible to go beyond this record, but now we cannot only equal it but surpass it with a probability that is ultimately quite high, in the region of 1/100," he added.

A separate study in The Lancet Planet Health journal last May found that Paris had the highest heat-related death rates of 854 European towns and cities, partly due to its lack of green space and dense population.

The statistics were also heavily skewed by the events of 2003 when 15,000 people died, most of them vulnerable elderly people living on their own, sparking a bout of national soul-searching.

Stress testing

In the last five years, Paris has witnessed a series of blistering summers that have seen heat records crumble.

A new all-time temperature peak was set in July 2019 when the Meteo-France weather service clocked 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the capital.

Organizers says they have contingency plans in the event of another heat wave.

Organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will run from July 26 to August 11 and the Paralympics which start in late August, say they are "fully aware" of the climate-related risks to the Games.

"Heat waves and extreme weather events are factors that we take into account and that we are preparing for as much as possible, in order to take necessary action," a spokesperson told AFP.

Operational teams have run simulations looking at the consequences of shifting some outdoor events to earlier or later start times to avoid the midday heat.

The athletics events, particularly the marathon, as well as tennis or beach volleyball are all seen as being vulnerable to the effects of punishing sunshine and high temperatures.

Young and fit athletes might also prove more resistant than spectators who will likely face queues to enter venues and potentially hours without shade in open-air stadia.

The head of the French agency responsible for building the Olympics venues, Nicolas Ferrand, reassured a Senate hearing that all indoor facilities had been built with global heating in mind.

"We checked that all of our buildings would be comfortable in the summer of 2050," he said last month, adding that the national weather office and IT consultancy firm Dassault Systemes had helped with the modeling.

A/C issue

Another area of ongoing concern is the athletes' village in northern Paris which has been built without air conditioning as part of efforts to set new environmental standards for the Paris Games.

Instead, the river-side tower blocks have a natural geo-thermal cooling systems, as well as sunshades, planted areas, and wind ventilation.

Nearly 3,000 new apartments have been built beside the Seine river in Saint-Ouen which 

will be used for the athletes' village.

They guarantee an indoor temperature at least 6.0 degrees Celsius lower than outside—something viewed as insufficient by some attending nations.

"Air-conditioning at the village has been an issue," a European diplomat involved in Olympics coordination told AFP on condition of anonymity.

As a compromise, French organizers are now offering to provide portable air conditioners to visiting delegations at their expense.

Torrid Tokyo

The last Summer Olympics in Tokyo is widely thought to have been the hottest on record, with temperatures regularly above 30 Celsius coupled with 80 percent humidity.

Tokyo organizers moved the race walk events and two marathons 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Tokyo in the hope of cooler weather that did not really materialize.

Despite a range of anti-heat measures including misting stations, many athletes struggled in the heat, including Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev who wondered aloud on the court if he might die.

Many athletes are adapting to climate change by doing more hot-weather training, either in overseas camps or in specially designed bubbles that can artificially increase heat and humidity.

Speaking after Tokyo, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe warned that the "new norm" was competing in "really harsh climatic conditions".

More information: Pascal Yiou et al, Ensembles of climate simulations to anticipate worst case heatwaves during the Paris 2024 Olympics, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41612-023-00500-5

Pierre Masselot et al, Excess mortality attributed to heat and cold: a health impact assessment study in 854 cities in Europe, The Lancet Planetary Health (2023). DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00023-2

Journal information: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

 The Lancet Planetary Healt

© 2024 AFP

UN confirms Europe hit record high temperature in 2021

 

Canada signs letter of intent with AI giant Nvidia during CEO's Toronto trip

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says Canada has signed a letter of intent with artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia to boost computing power.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the minister announced the document was signed with the California-based powerhouse, which recently saw the race to innovate with AI push its valuation past the $1.5 trillion mark. 

Neither party revealed the contents of the letter during Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang's trip to Toronto on Thursday.

“Minister Champagne wants my support to ensure that Canada can have access to leading edge technology so that it could, with necessary funding, build its own infrastructure and I'm very enthusiastic about that,” Huang told The Canadian Press in an interview late Thursday.

“We've been a partner of Canada since the beginning of deep learning … and so this is a very important region for us to invest in, a very important country for us to invest in.”

Canada is not alone in prioritizing AI infrastructure. Huang said Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Britain, France and Italy are all attuned to the topic.

The opportunity facing Canada, however, is unique.

Huang considers Canada the birthplace of modern AI because two “godfathers” of the technology, Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, long completed AI research in the country. The two eventually won the prestigious A.M. Turing Award — often called “the Nobel Prize of computing” — with Yann LeCun. 

Bengio and Hinton have since set up AI research hubs, the Vector Institute in Toronto and Mila in Montreal.

“Canada has such deep and quite significant in scale AI research, between Montreal and Toronto,” Huang said.

“Don't squander that and make sure that these researchers have the instruments they need, the funding they need to continue to advance the science they, in a lot of ways, invented.”

Wearing his signature black leather jacket, Huang spoke to a Canadian Press reporter at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto while he dined on sushi and sliders.

Earlier, he shared a stage before an invite-only crowd with Raquel Urtasun of autonomous driving company Waabi, Aidan Gomez from AI darling Cohere, Alán Aspuru-Guzik of the Vector Institute and Brendan Frey from drug discovery firm Deep Genomics.

“There are a lot of different things that we have to do in order to accelerate the ecosystem here in Canada,” Huang told the audience. 

“Part of it requires the encouragement and support of government, part of it is about inspiring a young researcher to continue to do research here in Canada, and part of it is about creating the opportunities for them … after they graduate.”

He emphasized Canada doesn't lack research or talent — an observation shared by Stephen Toope, president of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

However, Toope pointed out Canada's global ranking on AI talent had slipped over the past few years, according to a report from U.K. firm Tortoise. It's ranking on AI capacity, which measures a nation's AI adoption and development capabilities, also dipped.

Its AI infrastructure ranking fell from 15 to 23 between 2021 and 2023, which concerns Toope.

"My fear is that we could reach a point where the people who we brought here and retained here actually can't do the work they want to do because they don't have access to the computing power," Toope said.

Computing power includes power sources, data centres and chips. 

Most chips come from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which counts Apple and Nvidia as customers. (Nvidia, which Huang co-founded in 1993, designs graphics processing units — cards that enhance the performance and quality of gaming and creative applications — but often uses third parties to manufacture them.)

Many feel it's unlikely Canada, which lacks major foundries, could ever seriously rival Taiwan Semiconductor.

"Quite frankly, Canada is not in the short term, or even the medium term, likely to build out massive capacity to produce the kind of chips that are required for AI," Toope said.

"It's just too complicated, too expensive.”

A 2021 report from Canada’s Semiconductor Council found fabrication facilities for semiconductors, also known as chips, can cost about US$5 billion in land, equipment and materials, and advanced logic and memory factories can reach US$20 billion.

“Canada doesn't have to advance chips. There are so many companies that build chips,” Huang said.

Rather than make chips, Toope is pushing for the country to adopt a purchasing consortium backstopped by the Canadian government — but including public and private actors — that could all work together to help the country more efficiently procure computing capacity.

"It's not making its own chips, but it's a kind of sovereignty because we've got a guaranteed supply," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2024.

 

Canadian business insolvencies in 2023 had the largest increase in 36 years: report

Daniel Johnson , BNN Bloomberg

Business insolvencies had the sharpest increase in more than three decades last year, according to a new report, which highlights that Canadian firms are struggling with higher debt-carrying costs. 

A new report released Friday from the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (CAIRP) found that business insolvencies in Canada rose by 41.4 per cent in 2023 when compared to the previous year. The rise marked the largest annual increase based on 36 years of records from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB). 

“Businesses have been struggling to cope with a myriad of financial challenges over the past year, including higher input costs, wage costs, and debt servicing costs, exacerbating the rocky footing many have been on ever since the pandemic,” Andre Bolduc, the chair of CAIRP, said in a press release. 

In total, 4,810 businesses filed for insolvency during 2023, which marked the largest annual volume in 13 years, the release said. 

According to Bolduc, debt accumulated during pandemic lockdowns wore down Canadian businesses. He said that in some instances, debt levels hurt the viability of businesses, requiring them to seek restructuring options. 

Across provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest percentage increase in insolvencies last year at 141.7 per cent, followed by British Columbia at 65.4 per cent and Nova Scotia at 55.6 per cent. 

Bolduc said businesses will continue to face a difficult environment this year. 

“Many businesses are already on a razor’s edge. The additional costs to service their debts due to higher interest rates will mean even less room to cover increasing costs of business going into 2024,” he said. 

Consumer insolvencies 

The report also highlighted that consumer insolvencies rose 23 per cent during 2023, which marked the fastest rate of increase in 14 years. 

Over the course of last year, the report said 123,000 Canadian consumers filed for insolvency, with a daily average of around 337. 

“Compounding the financial impacts of inflation and higher interest rates, many Canadians have not seen their income grow at the same pace as the cost of their daily expenses, making it increasingly difficult to manage bills and service debts,” Bolduc said. 

“Without additional sources of income or a pay raise, households may feel they need to cut back further on spending habits or take on more debt to keep pace.”

Across provinces, Manitoba was found to have the highest percentage increase of consumer insolvencies last year, at 30.7 per cent, followed by British Columbia at 26.8 per cent and Ontario at 26.2 per cent. 

Chilean Mining Workforce Study 2023:The mining industry will require over 34.000 talents in the next ten years.


The findings, released by the CCM-Eleva Alliance, represent the total of the country’s mining regions, with the participation of 27 mining and supplier companies. Additionally, the EFL 2023, as it is known, received sponsorship from the Ministry of Mining of Chile.

This Tuesday, December 5, the CCM-Eleva Alliance presented the Workforce Study of Chilean Large-scale Mining 2023-2032, which is a complete radiography that -since 2011- describes how the workforce of large-scale mining in our country is evolving, identifying the existing challenges in this area and multiple opportunities to work in a collaborative and sectorial manner.

The ninth edition of the Workforce Study had the participation of a total of 27 mining and supplier companies, who provided their indicators. Additionally, and unprecedentedly this year, the study received sponsorship from the Ministry of Mining, which -last August- signed a collaboration agreement with the CCM-Eleva Alliance.

“This is an important study, which since 2011 has provided relevant information for public policies and also for the industry (…) allowing us to know what are the gaps we have in terms of human talent and important data, for example, in what areas human talent is required and how we are progressing in terms of gender equity”, said the Minister of Mining Aurora Williams during the launch, who also appreciated that over the years the study has been integrating new indicators according to the context of the industry.

Veronica Fincheira, manager of the Mining Skills Council (CCM-Eleva Alliance), valued the efforts of the mining companies, “who systematically provide us with their data and participate in the analysis of the information since they are the main asset to develop this report that characterizes the mining workforce, representing 96% of the sector”.

The present launch -which is now available for download at www.ccm-eleva.cl/EFL2023-eng– included a synthesis of the study’s findings at the national level, with more than 150 guests, including representatives of companies, education institutions, training organizations, and the public sector, among them the Undersecretary of Labor Giorgio Boccardo, Undersecretary of Women and Gender Equity Luz Vidal; Executive Secretary of ChileValora Ximena Rivillo; National Director of Sence Romanina Morales; Executive Secretary TP of the Ministry of Education Cristian Liconvil, among others





Findings of Chilean Mining Workforce Study 2023

The ninth version of the Workforce Study showed that more than 34.000 new talents will be needed by 2032, increasing by more than a third compared to the 25.000 identified two years ago in the previous study, both for those workers who are about to retire, as well as for the projects that will come into operation in key mining regions.

“This demand for more than 34 thousand new talents for the next decade reflects a growth of 36% compared to what was estimated in the previous study, which is excellent news that shows a mining industry that is growing robustly, generating jobs and local development”, said Vladimir Glasinovic, director of the Eleva Program (CCM-Eleva Alliance).

From this accumulated demand, 75% will be concentrated in five main profiles: mechanical maintainers, electrical maintainers, maintenance supervisors, mobile equipment operators, and fixed equipment operators. It is worth mentioning that more than 10 thousand mechanical maintainers will be needed in the next ten years.

Another of the topics addressed is the labor participation of women in mining, which has maintained a positive evolution and has increased from 8% in 2018 to 15% in 2022, a percentage that rises to 17% if we only consider mining companies. To achieve this participation, it is highlighted that 1 in 3 hirings made by mining companies was a woman, which translates to more than 2.500 women hirings in one year.



Likewise, women have made their way into decision-making positions, increasing from 13% to 17%, with a greater increase in the positions of assistant managers/superintendents, which went from 13% to 19%, and in leadership positions, which increased from 16% to 23%. However, this good news has as a counterpart the stagnation for more than ten years in the enrollment of women in programs related to mining, which remains at 13% in both technical-professional secondary education and higher education.

As one of the priority issues of the sector, there was also a significant increase in the quotas offered by mining companies to be part of their internship and apprenticeship programs, allowing the entry of more young people, and women, among other groups. Specifically, there were more than 2.300 quotas for interns and apprentices in 2022, a figure that doubled compared to 2018 and quadrupled about the last measurement (the year 2020, which in the context of the pandemic decreased to only 586 quotas).

Regarding the average hiring rate, 24% of those who participated in these programs were hired. Likewise, 61% of those hired in the apprenticeship programs were women, demonstrating an important opportunity for the participation of women.

The study also addresses multiple other aspects, such as the investment and training hours of workers, the gaps that exist in the development of technological and digital skills, the hiring of workers who reside in the same region where the sites are located, and more.

Those interested in reviewing all the details of the study can download it for free from the new website of the CCM-Eleva Alliance: www.ccm-eleva.cl/EFL2023-eng.

SASKATCHEWN

JV Article: Grounded Lithium lands Denison Mines as partner to advance Kindersley brine project

MINING.COM and Grounded Lithium | February 2, 2024 | 

Gregg Smith (left), president and CEO of Grounded Lithium, with Greg Phaneuf, SVP corporate development and CFO. Credit: Grounded Lithium.

Grounded Lithium (TSXV: GRD; US-OTC: GRDAF) has reached an important milestone for the development of its Kindersley lithium brine project in southwestern Saskatchewan. The company signed an option agreement with Denison Mines (TSX: DML; NYSE: DNN) on Jan. 15, giving it the option to earn up to a 75% interest in the project by funding in aggregate up to C$15.1 million comprised of cash payments of up to C$3.2 million and project spending of up to C$12 million through a structured earn-in option.

“Denison is a multi-billion-dollar company saying we like this project,” Grounded Lithium president and CEO Gregg Smith said. “They completed a lot of due diligence on us, and we will be stronger with them by virtue of their financial support and technical expertise.”

Alberta-based Grounded Lithium zeroed in on the Kindersley lithium project in late 2021 because of the shallow depth of its reservoir.

“From our deep roots in the oil and gas industry, we knew that the most important thing is to be a low-cost operator, so we purposely went out and found an area that is shallow, which really reduces our costs,” explained Smith, who was honoured as Saskatchewan Oilman of the Year in 2009.

The top of the reservoir at Kindersley is at a depth of 900 to 1,000 metres whereas the depth to the target in most other areas in the lithium-rich brines of Western Canada are at depths of 2 km and more.

The Kindersley location also has no oil and gas or hydrogen sulphide in the brines, which are contaminants for lithium extraction.

Strong economics

“So, it’s a highly economic project with price resilience that still gives us a positive NPV down to below a price of $8,000 per tonne (lithium hydroxide),” Smith said.

Grounded published its preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for Kindersley in August 2023, when the price for lithium hydroxide was $25,000 per tonne, which produces a net present value (NPV) of $1 billion after tax using an 8% discount rate, and an internal rate of return of 48.5%. The price has plummeted since then to $15,000 per tonne, forcing high-cost producers to curtail operations, but Smith expects the price to recover as stockpiles are depleted.

At $25,000 per tonne lithium hydroxide, the project generates after-tax free cash flow of $200 million per year. If Denison exercises its 75% option, that would leave Grounded Lithium with a quarter of that cash flow, but Denison’s funding frees it from raising money in the public markets and diluting shareholder ownership.

“Being a low-cost operator gives us a strategic advantage that allows us to survive when the price is low and do very well when it goes up,” said Smith.

The Kindersley PEA projects annual production of 11,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate per year, a project life of 20 years and total capital costs of C$447 million.

The PEA was focused on the initial phase of a multi-phased ramp up that would double production in a second phase.

Kindersley boasts a total resource of 4.2 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent of which 1 million tonnes is in the measured and indicated category, based on a November 2023 update to the PEA.

Grounded chose to produce lithium hydroxide monohydrate as opposed to lithium carbonate based on the anticipated demand for the former as battery chemistry preferences evolve.

Mineral extraction innovation

Current plans call for the use of Koch Technology Solutions’ proprietary and trademarked Li-Pro in-situ extraction technology following extensive research and initial results from testing thousands of litres of brine pumped from the Kindersley reservoir. Denison is pioneering in-situ extraction technology at its Wheeler River uranium project in northern Saskatchewan and will be able to share that experience and expertise at Kindersley.

Smith sees huge potential for lithium production from brines in Western Canada’s sedimentary basins because of the lower cost of production and less onerous permitting compared with mining hard rock lithium deposits.

“I’m not saying don’t do hard rock as well, but we think there’s a strategic advantage to mining lithium from brines,” he said.

Although still a minor player in global lithium production compared with many other jurisdictions, Canada has several advantages in developing new supply, including stable governments and high environmental standards. Additionally, said Smith, Canadian producers like Grounded Lithium would benefit from the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which grants credits to consumers for the purchase of battery powered vehicles on critical minerals sourced and processed in a country that is not a foreign entity of concern for the U.S.

“Next steps for the Kindersley project,” said Smith, “include a pilot plant and a feasibility study, leading us eventually to pursue offtake agreements along with project financing for possible construction starting as early as 2026.”

The preceding Joint Venture Article is PROMOTED CONTENT sponsored by Grounded Lithium and produced in co-operation with Mining.com. Visit: www.groundedlithium.com for more information.

Peruvian government unveils platform to expedite exploration permits

Staff Writer | February 4, 2024 | 

Peruvian Minister of Energy and Mines, Oscar Vera Gargurevich.

 (Image by Minem, X.)

Officials from the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) met with representatives from the largest mining companies operating in the country to offer details on the implementation of the Digital Information Single Window platform, which is the result of a collaboration between nine government departments and is expected to expedite the issuance of exploration permits.


Executives from China’s MMG Minera Las Bambas, which accounts for 2% of the global copper output, were there, together with representatives from Compañía de Minas Buenaventura, whose biggest shareholder is Antofagasta Plc.; Teck Resources’ (NYSE: TECK) Compañía Minera Zafranal; Nexa Resources’ (NYSE: NEXA) Nexa Resources Perú; Aluminum Corp of China’s Minera Chinalco; Gold Field La Cima, and China’s Shougang Hierro Perú, among others.

The miners applauded the Peruvian government’s effort to streamline certain processes and pointed out the importance of achieving greater coordination among all regulatory entities, particularly the National Water Authority (ANA) and the National Environmental Certification Service for Sustainable Investments (SENACE).

According to the Minem, the next steps in the development of the Single Window are focused on reducing the amount of paperwork miners need to submit when moving into the exploitation and production stages.

“This initiative seeks to facilitate investors’ work in the development of mining activities in a responsible manner, with greater efficiency, and streamlining administrative processes to avoid duplication,” the Vice Minister of Mines, Henry Luna Córdova, said at the meeting.

The government officials also took the opportunity to highlight that Peru broke a copper production record in 2023, having produced over 2.75 million fine metric tonnes of the red metal, a 12.7% increase from the production registered in 2022.

According to the US Geological Survey’s 2024 Mineral Commodity Summaries, the Andean country kept its position as the No. 2 copper producer in the world.

The Minem also released the figures for other metals, noting that gold production reached 99 million fine grams in 2023, which is 2.8% more than what was produced in 2022 and which is mainly the result of the good performance of Newmont’s (NYSE: NEM) Minera Yanacocha.

Zinc, on the other hand, reached over 1.4 million fine metric tons, which is a 7.2% increase from 2022, with Compañía Minera Antamina and Volcan Compañía Minera taking the lead.

Finally, the ministry mentioned that iron ore production reached over 14 million fine metric tons, which represents an 8.8% increase from the previous year.

Massive caverns dug 4,800 feet below surface ready to host neutrino experiment

Staff Writer | February 4, 2024 | 

Construction workers created colossal caverns, each more than 500 feet long and about seven stories tall, for the gigantic particle detector modules of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, hosted by Fermilab.

 (Image by Matthew Kapust, Sanford Underground Research Facility).

Excavation has been completed for the gigantic particle detector that will serve the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which is located at a facility hosted in the former Homestake mine in North Dakota, the biggest and deepest gold mine in North America until its closure in 2002.


Engineering, construction and excavation teams have been working 4,850 feet below the surface since 2021 at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Construction crews dismantled heavy mining equipment and, piece by piece, transported it underground using an existing shaft.

Once below the surface, workers reassembled the equipment and spent almost two years blasting and removing rock. Close to 800,000 tons of rock were excavated and transported from underground into an expansive former mining area above ground.

Now, the three colossal caverns that are at the core of the new research facility span an underground area about the size of eight soccer fields.

“The completion of the three large caverns and all of the interconnecting drifts marks the end of a really big dig,” said Fermilab’s Michael Gemelli, who managed the excavation of the caverns by Thyssen Mining. “The excavation contractor maintained an exemplary safety record working over a million hours without a lost-time accident. That’s a major achievement in this heavy construction industry.”
Big dig, big questions

Supported by the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, DUNE scientists will study the behaviour of mysterious particles known as neutrinos to solve some of the biggest questions about our universe. Why is our universe composed of matter? How does an exploding star create a black hole? Are neutrinos connected to dark matter or other undiscovered particles?

The caverns provide space for four large neutrino detectors—each one about the size of a seven-story building. The detectors will be filled with liquid argon and record the rare interaction of neutrinos with the transparent liquid.

Trillions of neutrinos travel through our bodies each second without us knowing it. With DUNE, scientists will look for neutrinos from exploding stars and examine the behaviour of a beam of neutrinos produced at Fermilab, located near Chicago, about 800 miles east of the underground caverns.

Now that the caverns have been dug out, workers will begin to outfit them with the systems needed for the installation of the DUNE detectors and the daily operations of the research facility. Later this year, the project team plans to begin the installation of the insulated steel structure that will hold the first neutrino detector. The goal is to have the first detector operational before the end of 2028.

The DUNE collaboration, which includes more than 1,400 scientists and engineers from over 200 institutions in 36 countries, has successfully tested the technology and assembly process for the first detector.

Mass production of its components has begun. Testing of the technologies underlying both detectors is underway using particle beams at the European laboratory CERN.

Argentinian, German officials meet to discuss critical minerals

Staff Writer | February 4, 2024 

Argentina’s Mining Secretary, Flavia Royon, and Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Franziska Brantner. 

(Image by Royon’s press team, X.)

Argentina’s Mining Secretary, Flavia Royon, and the governors of the Lithium Table provinces, that is, Jujuy, Catamarca and San Juan, travelled to Germany to promote the country’s critical mineral resources at a conference and through one-on-one meetings with government officials.


The politicians met with representatives from Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of the Economic Affairs Commission of the German Parliament, the Secretary of Commerce, as well as with the director of mineral resources, the director of exports and representatives for the Americas of the German Ministry of Economy and Climate.

“The Argentine delegation, led by the Secretary of Mining and accompanied by the governors, held a fruitful exchange with the 15 deputies from the German Chamber of Deputies’ Economic Affairs Commission. The German representatives showed keen interest in the exploration and production of critical minerals, such as copper and lithium, in Argentine territory,” Royon’s office said in a media statement.

According to the brief, the discussions revolved around the role that Argentina can play in the global energy transition, particularly concerning the EU as the block moves toward supplier diversification.

The Argentinian governors detailed the mineral potential of each of their provinces, with a special focus on the mining projects that employ solar energy, thus fostering processes with low carbon emissions.

“This comprehensive approach reflects the provinces’ commitment to responsible industrial practices and respect for the environment. The domestic mining industry is considered a platform with great potential to be a beneficiary of German financial funds and tools. These funds are designed to meet the most demanding standards of environmental stewardship. Notably, these Argentine provinces considerably exceed these standards,” the release reads.

To strengthen this bilateral collaboration, especially in the energy and mining sectors, the German parliamentarians who met with the Argentinian delegation will visit the South American country in March 2024.