Finnish bodies to plan info centre for Chile

The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) has launched an international project in conjunction with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd to plan a national Centre for Environmental Reference in Chile, said a press release.

In Chile the quality control of environmental measurements has not been sufficiently comprehensive, which has weakened the confidence in its environmental information.

The environment ministry of Chile has commissioned the plan while the Chilean business foundation Eurochile is coordinating the project. The plan would be based on the extensive know-how in environmental measurements in the fields of chemistry (SYKE), air quality (Finnish Meteorological Institute), and emission measurement (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland).

“It has been noted in Chile that an environment-friendly operational culture is a precondition for production meant for the external market. The forest and mining sectors are two of the Chile’s most important areas of growth, and environmental considerations are of special importance in their development. An internationally recognised comparative laboratory centre could help promote the reliability of the measurements connected with the Chilean’s evaluation of environmental impact,” said SYKE Laboratory Centre Development Manager Tero Väisänen.

The project launched early this year will see implementation of the plan for the Centre for Environmental Reference. The long-term goal is for the centre is to function in accordance with international standards for measurements of water, land and air quality, and emissions. It also aims to improve the quality of environmental measurements in Chile and ensure the veracity of the information concerned.

Besides, the centre would also promote the precision of measurements at laboratories, propagate good practices, and organise competence tests for those carrying out the measurements.

“Finnish knowledge and skills in securing the quality of environmental measurements are needed in Chile. We have not had an independent player in the evaluation of environmental measurements, and such a player is needed for building confidence among the different stakeholders. The improvement naturally would also benefit our environment, and increase the appeal of our country for future investments,” said Eurochile Director José Aravena.

A group of experts from SYKE, the Finnish Met Office, and VTT travelled to Chile in March to conduct a background survey for the project. The planning work is scheduled for completion in September, after which decisions will be made in Chile on the implementation of the plan.