Galápagos Islands in Search of Clean Energy

Can the Galápagos Islands, the world-famous Ecuadorian nature reserve, break its perilous addiction to oil?

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Seaweed May Prevent HIV

A substance made from seaweed promises to be an important ally for women in preventing infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, the precursor to AIDS).

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Ban on Car Races in Nature Park

The legal authorities of the central Argentine province of Córdoba ordered a halt to the construction of a rally circuit in San Martín Park.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Private Management for Capital's Green Zone

The Honduran government has given a 20-year contract to the private Ecological Foundation of Tegucigalpa for the management and recovery of the capital's main green space, the Cerro Juana Laínez.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: More Transportation Restrictions

Starting in July the vehicle use restriction program in force in the Mexican capital will be expanded from Monday through Friday to include Saturdays.

RELIGION EMERGES AS CENTRAL ISSUE IN LEAD-UP TO SPANISH ELECTIONS

In Spain, religion has emerged as an important political issue to a greater extent than was expected, writes Carlos Garcia de Andoin, federal coordinator of the Christian Socialists (PSOE). In this article, the author writes that this is not only because the current legislature, which was seated in March 2004, was shaken by the jihadi bombings of the Madrid subway, but also because it found itself targeted by the active opposition of the most conservative sectors of the Catholic church. The origin of the tensions was not a policy of barring religion from public life but rather the changes in culture and values that are sweeping Spanish society. When the economy is in reasonably good shape, the manifestation of the political differences between the right and the left shifts to the arena of cultural values. Thus the government of the PSOE has represented the change in values while the Catholic Church has made itself the defender of traditional values.

CHINA: THE OLYMPIC PRISONERS

The Olympic Games have their anthem, their rings, their heroes and their sponsors. And now, with the Beijing 2008 games, they have their prisoners, writes Robert Menard, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders International. In this article, the author writes that the Chinese government is not just building fine stadiums, it is also arresting those who dare to condemn the countless human rights violations taking place in China. Just before New Year\'s Eve, leading human rights activist Hu Jia, recently nominated for the European Parliament\'s Sakharov prize, was arrested at his Beijing home. The policemen also threatened his young wife, Zeng Jinyan, a well-known blogger who was named by Time magazine as one of the world\'s 100 heroes in 2007. One would expect an outcry in response to such a level of repression. All those looking forward to the 2008 Beijing games should speak out. But the International Olympic Committee is saying nothing and rejecting all appeals for help. The Olympic sponsors are not saying anything either. And foreign diplomats rarely speak out because they are too scared of upsetting Beijing.

HILLARY AND BARACK COULD CHANGE THE WHOLE GAME TOGETHER

Rather than risk an ugly fight over their essentially similar positions, Clinton and Obama can make history by publicly stating again that they will support whichever one is the nominee, writes Hazel Henderson, futurist and author of Ethical Markets: Growing The Green Economy and other books. In this article, Henderson writes that the result would be electrifying and would baffle the pundits and the media now feasting on the conflict by exacerbating their trivial differences. Supporters of both candidates would approve of this win-win approach to really bringing the country together. The harm would only be to the pocketbooks of political contributors hoping for future favours, pollsters incomes, pundits and consultants fees and all those betting on the continued in-fighting. The good news is that such a win-win strategy might do much to change the game of United States politics which most citizens deplore.

Latin America Lags in Innovation and Technology

Although there have been important efforts in recent years, Latin America lags far behind the industrialized countries in the global science and technology race.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Security for Ecologists

The European Union representative in Honduras, Germano Stragneiro, asked President Manuel Zelaya to enact mechanisms to guarantee the security of environmentalists, specifically in the area of the Plátano River Biosphere, in the eastern department of Olancho.

Ecobreves – CUBA: New Wind Park

By the end of February Cuba will have a wind park with the capacity to generate 5.1 megawatts per hour, as part of a development program to replace fossil fuels with alternative energy sources.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: La Niña Throws Lightning Bolts

This year there will be more lightning in Brazil. January saw a 35-percent increase over January 2007 in the southeast, the most populous region of the country, according to the National Institute of Space Research.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Photocatalysis Fights Water Contamination

Venezuela hopes to have ready this year the prototype of a lake decontamination system that uses solar rays to destroy the toxic substances in the water -- heterogeneous photocatalysis.

FOOD SOVEREIGNTY FOR LATIN AMERICA

Almost the entire western world is at the mercy of agroindustrial capitalism, a system of depredation that does not respect nature, produces food with high levels of toxins that makes its consumers sick, and is a cause of climate change and global warming, writes Joao Pedro Stedile, a member of the Landless Farmers Movement (MST) and of Via Campesina Brazil. In this article, Stedile writes that the government of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, in association with Via Campesina International, is pushing for various agreements that would end this dependence and create a path towards food sovereignty. The first step was reorganising the teaching of agronomy to focus on new approaches to the production of healthful foods, with agro-ecological techniques that do not use agro-toxins. In the spirit of Latin America integration that is the inspiration of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA), Latin America is building the scientific foundations needed to find a way to achieve food sovereignty for our peoples.

CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER THREAT IN RUSSIA

With Russia\'s presidential elections -- notoriously a time of clampdown on dissent -- looming, it is important to ask whether non-governmental organisations (NGOs) there will be able to freely go about their legitimate activities, whether providing services, election monitoring, or holding the government to account, asks Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Tanzilya Salimdjanova, associate at CIVICUS - Civil Society Watch programme. In this analysis, the author writes that while in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, anti-NGO campaigns and policies were quickly implemented with devastating impact after independence, in Russia there is still time and space to advocate for civil society and support NGOs and human rights activists in their efforts to prevent civil society space from vanishing altogether. As Russia is a gravitational force, its moves towards protecting or suffocating civil society will play a huge role in influencing the policies of surrounding countries. Let us hope that they choose the path of openness, cooperation, and providing space for their vital partners in civil society.

Deforestation Still Winning in Latin America

The plans of Latin American governments to fight indiscriminate logging have achieved some victories, but they continue to run up against strong economic interests.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Standards for Sustainable Construction

Mexico's National Housing Commission will enact a regulatory framework before the end of the month that, for the first time, will guide the construction of more eco-friendly homes.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: More Ships, More Whales

The non-governmental Fundación Vida Silvestre launched a research plan to prevent accidents between whales and large ships along Argentina's Patagonian coast.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Fruit with Dental Benefits

The açaí (Euterpe oleracea), an Amazonian fruit popular for its flavor and energy boost, is also the source of a dye that identifies bacterial plaque in teeth, which can help prevent cavities and other dental problems.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Military Protection of Forests

The Armed Forces of Honduras has sent 2,000 soldiers to protect the natural resources of the entire country as part of the government project "Life for Nature".

Guaraníes Out of Their Environment

With no forests or rivers, or sufficient land, the indigenous peoples of Mato Grosso do Sul try to survive on wage labor from working on sugarcane plantations and on alternative farming.