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Thursday, May 14, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Brazil Tries Natural Method to Eradicate Dengue
Scientists in Brazil announced the start of experiments with an “innocuous, self-sustainable” method to fight transmission of the dengue virus by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, using a bacterium that is naturally occurring in nature.
Religious Groups in Brazil Condemn Attacks on Islam
The Brazilian Commission for Combating Religious Intolerance (CCIR) condemned the film “Innocence of Muslims" as “disrespectful” of the prophet Mohammed, and organised a mass protest demanding respect for freedom of religion in this country.
Small Dams – from Heroes to Villains in Brazil
A recent Brazilian court decision to suspend construction of small hydroelectric dams along the Paraguay River has highlighted the doubts raised about a growing alternative source of energy that until recently was considered one of the most environmentally-friendly sources.
Debate on Asbestos Safety Reaches Brazil’s Supreme Court
Brazil’s Supreme Court is assessing the level of risk posed by asbestos to human health, while industry defends its use under controlled conditions, and associations of people with asbestos-related diseases argue that it should not be used under any circumstances, even with regulations.
Brazil Perfects Monitoring of Amazon Carbon Emissions
A new system to calculate the amount of greenhouse gases generated by deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon jungle region has come at a good time for assessing the effects of the reform of the country’s forest code.
Activists Alarmed at Release of Dorothy Stang’s Murderer
The release from prison of the Brazilian rancher found guilty of ordering the 2005 murder of U.S.-born rainforest activist and nun Dorothy Stang has alarmed human rights defenders, who warn that it could set a dangerous precedent in other cases involving land disputes and the rights of poor farmers.
Belo Monte Dam Can No Longer Ignore Native Communities
A judicial order to halt construction of the Belo Monte dam in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest may be just one more battle in a long-drawn-out war in the courts over the controversial hydroelectric project.
Quotas in Brazil’s Public Universities to Democratise Education
A new law about to enter into effect in Brazil will reserve half of all admission slots in public universities for students who attended public primary and secondary schools. But the measure, aimed at expanding access to the country’s best universities, will require structural reforms.
Biopolymers and the Dream of a Green Petrochemical Industry
Brazil leads global production of biopolymers, an industry that generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuel-based plastic manufacture. But "green plastics" made from sugarcane have a sour aftertaste.
Brazil Launches Campaign to Decriminalise Drug Use
A host of academic, legal, health, political and social figures are joining together to back a campaign to decriminalise drug use in Brazil, as tens of thousands of consumers uninvolved in the drug trade are currently jailed.Brazilian Environmental Activists Killed in Shadow of Rio+20
Far from the plush surroundings which hosted Rio+20, the most ambitious global conference on the environment of the past two decades, events in a fishing village in the state of Rio de Janeiro show the cost of fighting environmental crime can be as high as life itself.
Weak Rio+20 Agreement Anticipates New Noah’s Ark
The downpour that fell Friday in this Brazilian city was nature’s warning to the heads of state meeting at the Rio+20 summit. The generation of Noe (Noah), an environmentalist’s son who will be born a month from now, will have to save biodiversity that is more complex than that of his Biblical namesake.
Agroecology Proves Cheap and Efficient on Brazilian Farm*
An agroecological farm outside of Rio de Janeiro is a testing ground for scientists and agronomists in Brazil, who have worked there for two decades to show that it is possible to produce a wide range of natural agricultural products in a cheap, efficient way that harms neither the environment nor human health.
RIO+20: The Two Faces of BRICS Development Aid
The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) face a key choice: to opt for "good" development aid, based on sustainable development, or for the "bad" old traditional model, which they criticised when they were its recipients.
UN, People’s Summit Clash over Green Economy
U.N. Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner believes that he and the Rio+20 People’s Summit agree that the global economic model has caused the current environmental destruction. But the discussion on what to replace it with turned into an acrid debate.
People’s Summit Alive With the Sound of Voices
Swallowed up in the crowd in front of the spectacular Guanabara Bay, indigenous leader Apolinario from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest acted as an impromptu guide on the first day of the People's Summit in Rio de Janeiro.Brazil and China, Oiling the Wheels of Business
China's voracious demand for energy has prompted it to embrace Brazil as a major oil partner, fuelling the dramatic expansion of Chinese companies in this South American country. But while some see this as a boost to the Brazilian economy, others fear that it poses a risk to this country’s future self-sufficiency.
Brazilian Government Sets Guidelines for Success at Rio+20
As the host of Rio+20, the Brazilian government has defined guidelines for achieving success at the upcoming world summit, whose aim is to assess and strengthen what has been done since the 1992 Earth Summit, the first global meeting on sustainable development.
Modern Obstetrics and Midwives Need to Join Forces
María dos Prazeres de Souza has lost count of the number of births "without a single death" she has attended as a midwife, an occupation that there is renewed interest in strengthening in traditional communities in Brazil where state services are not available or are not entirely acceptable for cultural reasons.
Urban Farming Takes Root in Brazil’s Favelas
Women in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of this city 40 km north of Rio de Janeiro no longer have to spend money on vegetables, because they have learned to grow their own, as organic urban gardening takes off in Brazil.
Brazil Must Do More for Rio+20, Former Ministers Say
Former ministers, lawmakers and environmental experts in Brazil are urging the government to take a more proactive stance to prevent the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development the country will host in June from falling short of the standard set by the preceding summit.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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