Seawater is projected to supply 67.6 per cent of copper mining water use by 2034. Chile’s new Desalination Law creates concessions and planning, but still lacks specific limits for brine, organism intake, cumulative impacts and energy performance.
A two-year study compared seven landraces with three modern varieties across ten environments in Chile’s Metropolitan and Ñuble regions. Modern cultivars averaged more grain, while heritage wheats showed greater stability, biomass and intrinsic water-use efficiency.
PROMMRA's central scenario places operational filling around 15 December, with a conditional window from 24 November to 13 February. The signal rests on a large snow reserve but depends on actual melt, water deliveries and basin operations.
Monitoring on August 2 reported PM2.5 at 7 µg/m³ and PM10 at 21 µg/m³, with ICAP scores of 14 and 16. The daily snapshot was favorable, but local readings must be distinguished from restrictions applying in other Chilean jurisdictions.
A study compared three previously trawled seamounts with Solito, where no evidence of trawling was found. Live corals, sponges and biodiversity have not recovered even after more than a quarter-century without bottom trawling.