Women Fight Climate Battles

From Zimbabwe to El Salvador, women in poor countries suffer the brunt of climate change, but also learn to recover from disasters, to adapt and even to find opportunities in the new weather conditions.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Resources Demanded to Confront Climate Change

Environmental organizations are calling for an adequate budget for the mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its impacts.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Environmentalists Will Manage Protected Areas

Beginning in 2013, seven protected areas in Honduras will be managed by seven environmental organizations, who will be officially responsible for their protection.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Insufficient Protection Against Chemical and Nuclear Accidents

Environmental organizations are carefully monitoring the consequences of a toxic cloud that spread over downtown Buenos Aires on Dec. 6, and have warned of a lack of preparation to deal with a major chemical disaster.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: CO2 Emissions from Amazon Construction Timber Calculated

Every cubic meter of wood extracted from the Amazon and prepared for use in construction releases between 6.5 and 24.9 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), from the time the trees are cut down until their final transportation to the market in the former of boards, panels and other timber products.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Approval of Thermoelectric Plant Sparks Protest

Environmental organizations in Chile have expressed outrage over the ministerial approval granted for the construction of the Punta Alcalde thermoelectric power plant in the municipality of Huasco, 645 km north of Santiago.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: In Search of Greater Transparency in the Extractive Industries

The World Bank will be advising Honduras on the requirements to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Researchers Preserve Genes of Threatened Amazon Monkeys

Researchers at the Federal University of Pará in Brazil are collecting and storing genetic material from monkeys in the genus Saimiri, commonly known as squirrel monkeys, to prevent the extinction of a sub-species endemic to the Amazon rainforest.

Chile Follows in South Africa’s Footsteps for Climate Change Mitigation

The Chilean government has decided to adopt a model developed by South Africa to explore pathways to a low-carbon economy.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Selective Waste Collection Available to Very Few

According to a survey conducted by the Brazilian Water Program, 64 percent of Brazilians still do not have access to selective waste collection as a means of recycling.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Government of the Capital Wins Award for Urban Lighting Project

The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) has granted a special recognition award to the “Energy, Innovation and Performance in Urban Lighting” project being implemented by the leftist government of Mexico City.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Stepping Up Resistance to Mega Mining

Residents of the southern province of Chubut, in the Patagonia region of Argentina, are fighting a proposed legal reform that would allow large-scale open-pit mining, involving the use of toxic substances, in this area.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Municipalities Confront Climate Change

Some 45 municipalities in the so-called dry corridor of Honduras have begun work on a project to promote reforestation, food security and climate change resilience in order to improve living conditions for their communities.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Scientists Call for Preservation of Forest Remnant

Researchers at Venezuela’s University of the Andes are urging the government to adopt a management plan for the 7,000 hectares of the Caparo Experimental Station, the remnant of what was a forest covering millions of hectares in the country’s western lowlands less than a century ago.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Cracks in Ralco Hydro Dam Raise Concern

The Aukin Wallmapu indigenous community in Alto Bíobío, 500 kilometers south of Santiago, has denounced the presence of cracks and leaks in the Ralco hydroelectric dam.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Nuclear Technology for More Resistant Crops

Agricultural researchers in Cuba are using radiation in an attempt to develop banana, rice, avocado and tomato strains that are more resistant to drought and salinity, as part of a Latin American cooperation project.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Women Farmers Producing Better Grains

Women farmers in seven departments of Honduras are working towards higher-quality, environmentally friendly agricultural production to gain better access to markets and fairer prices.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: São Paulo Solar Plant Will Supply Electricity to Public Grid

The University of São Paulo will construct a photovoltaic power plant, in association with a local electric company, which will be the third solar power plant and the second to supply electricity to the public grid in Brazil.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Energy and Waste Generate the Bulk of CO2 Emissions in São Paulo

The energy and waste sectors were responsible for the emission of 16.43 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents in São Paulo last year, according to a study commissioned by the city’s department of the environment.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : E-Waste Bill In Danger, Say Activists

The Argentine government is blocking final approval of a bill on electronic waste that was passed four years ago by the country’s senate, according to the Argentine branch of Greenpeace.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Waste Management Training for Market Vendors

Young volunteers from the Vida Foundation of Honduras have launched a six-month campaign to raise awareness among street market vendors in Tegucigalpa of the importance of proper waste management and recycling.