Stories written by Inés Acosta

Uruguay’s Public Transport Goes Electric

Uruguay plans to gradually replace oil-based fuels with electric energy in its public transport system, and is currently assessing the costs and benefits of the shift.

Next Step in Uruguay: Competitive, Quality Marijuana

Uruguay, about to become the first country in the world where the state will fully regulate production, sale and distribution of marijuana, will spend the next few months selecting a good quality strain of the crop that can be sold at a price similar to current illegal prices.

Domestics Join Forces to Put Their House in Order

“We have come together to join forces, to be heard, because we want to speak for ourselves,” said Ernestina Ochoa, a Peruvian domestic worker, at the close of the founding congress of the International Domestic Workers Federation in the Uruguayan capital.

Latin America Stirs the Marijuana Pot

In Latin America, where marijuana is the most widely consumed illegal drug, there is basically no home-grown research into its effects and properties. But possible legalisation in Uruguay and the Mexican capital could open the door to new studies.

Uruguay Prepares for Iron Rush

A bill that would regulate large-scale mining operations is making its way through Uruguay’s two houses of parliament, despite a lack of political consensus and vocal opposition from environmental organisations and other sectors of civil society.

Uruguayan Schools Slowly Say Goodbye to Junk Food

Uruguayan schoolchildren are learning that cookies, candy, potato chips and soft drinks are bad for their health. Some schools have taken the initiative and banned junk food from school snacks.

In Uruguay, the Answer Is Blowing in the Wind

Uruguay needs to reinforce and expand its electric power grid to absorb the 1,200 megawatts of wind energy that it plans to generate by 2015.

Sea Turtles Trapped by Sudden Drop in Temperature in Uruguay

A record number of sea turtles are turning up on Uruguayan beaches along the Atlantic Ocean and Río de la Plata this Southern hemisphere winter, suffering from cold shock and hypothermia.

Community radio operator at La Cotorra. Credit: Courtesy of La Cotorra FM

URUGUAY: Community Radios Have Innovative Law, But Are Off the Air

Uruguay took a giant step towards more democratic media when it passed a law on community radio broadcasting in 2007. But although regulations for the law were approved in late 2010, many broadcasters are now off the air and waiting to be assigned a frequency.

Community radio operator at La Cotorra. Credit: Courtesy of La Cotorra FM

URUGUAY: Community Radios Have Innovative Law, But Are Off the Air

Uruguay took a giant step towards more democratic media when it passed a law on community radio broadcasting in 2007. But although regulations for the law were approved in late 2010, many broadcasters are now off the air and waiting to be assigned a frequency.

Montevideo Tackles Gas Emissions from Solid Waste

The government of the Uruguayan capital plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the solid waste produced by its 1.3 million inhabitants, through a project set to enter into operation in March. The carbon credits generated will be purchased by the World Bank.

Coastal degradation hurts fish and fisherfolk alike.  Credit: Inés Acosta/IPS

URUGUAY: Rio de la Plata Under Land-Based Attack

Unregulated population growth along Uruguay's southern coast has hurt the Río de la Plata (River Plate) along an extensive stretch where the freshwater mixes with the Atlantic's salty seas, warn scientists.

Coastal degradation hurts fish and fisherfolk. - Inés Acosta/IPS

Río de la Plata Under Land-Based Attack

The waters of the Río de la Plata (River Plate) estuary flowing into the Atlantic Ocean suffer the effects of poor management along the Uruguayan coast, though there are some signs of improvement.

Flood victims in Mercedes, Uruguay trying to salvage what they can.   Credit: Inés Acosta/IPS

URUGUAY: Tools Needed for Those Most Vulnerable to Climate Change

Water-borne diseases and illness related to natural disasters are on the agenda for plans of officials and civil society to help the precarious settlements in the outskirts of the metropolitan area of Montevideo and in other Uruguayan cities.

Flood victims in Mercedes, Uruguay, trying to salvage what they can. - Inés Acosta/IPS

Tools Needed for Those Most Vulnerable to Climate Change

A global forum in Uruguay is evaluating the country's plans for dealing with the problems that arise from increasing variability and unpredictability of the climate, especially for poorer populations.

View of the Guyunusa neighbourhood Credit: Courtesy of Silvana Delfino

URUGUAY: A Return to Mud and Straw

More and more Uruguayans are keen on building ecological homes. The problem is that there is hardly any market or specialised labour for what is known as "bio-building."

View of the Guyunusa neighborhood - Courtesy of Silvana Delfino

Uruguayans Return to Mud and Straw

Soil and straw from the Uruguayan plains were the raw material for the homes of the indigenous peoples over the millennia, and they are in demand again.

URUGUAY: ‘Dry Toilets’ Provide Ecological Solution in Slums

Marisabel's modest home had no plumbing, like the rest of the dwellings in this poor suburb on the outskirts of Montevideo, the capital of this small South American country.



harry potter ibooks download