Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Regulations for Gas Emissions

Guatemala's Environment and Natural Resources Ministry is drawing up regulations for gas emissions -- and could take effect before the end of the year.

JUST ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE

As the campaign against global poverty gathers steam in the run-up to the G-8 summit, the pressure on leaders is mounting to increase the measly amounts they currently give in aid to the poorest countries, writes Kumi Naidoo, Chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty. Along with cancelling debt and reforming unfair trade rules, an immediate increase of USD 50 billion in aid from the richest countries is a pivotal demand of campaigners worldwide, the author writes in this article. Ending global poverty, the kind of poverty that kills one child every three seconds, is not a distant dream but a practical, achievable objective, an economic essential, and a moral imperative. The eight men that will meet July 6-8 in Gleneagles know that by making a small change to the policies of the richest countries in the world, they can play their part in halting the 50,000 deaths from poverty every day. Millions of people in the world\'s largest anti-poverty campaign, The Global Call to Action against Poverty, are demanding pro-poor policies from governments that are transparent and accountable to citizens. They are all calling for justice, not charity and marching on their capitals, all wearing white bands, they are a visible demonstration of the power of people to unite, across borders, around a simple ask: take action to stop poverty.

WHITE BAND DAY: A GLOBAL CALL TO END POVERTY

In September the heads of state will return to the UN in New York to evaluate their progress on the UN Millennium goal of ending poverty by 2015. Before that, G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. In December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. In response to these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty, write Eveline Herfkens, representative of the UN Secretary General for the Millennium Development Goals, and Walter Veltroni, mayor of Rome. The authors write in this article that the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set before the three major meetings. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment, which will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Rome\'s Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). Wearing the white band serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world.

WHITE BAND DAY: A GLOBAL CALL TO END POVERTY

In September the heads of state will return to the UN in New York to evaluate their progress on the UN Millennium goal of ending poverty by 2015. Before that, G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. In December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. In response to these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty, write Eveline Herfkens, representative of the UN Secretary General for the Millennium Development Goals, and Walter Veltroni, mayor of Rome. The authors write in this article that the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set before the three major meetings. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment, which will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Rome\'s Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). Wearing the white band serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world.

In Search of the First Cubans

By Patricia Grogg *

New archeological excavations could prove that the human presence in Cuba and the Antilles dates back much earlier than previously thought.

Gold Mining Project Threatens Andean Glaciers

Increasingly vocal groups oppose mining for gold and silver along the Chile-Argentina border because the project would mean removing three glaciers in the Andes Mountains.

A State Lost in the Trash

Mountains of garbage are an obvious indicator of the environmental disaster in Haiti, where half of the capital's population lives crowded into precariously built houses.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Curbing Ozone Depletion

Brazil cut its production and consumption of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used mainly in refrigeration and aerosols, by 82.8 percent. In absolute terms, the Environment Ministry announced on Jun. 10, the total fell from 10,000 tons in 1997 to less then 2,000 tons in 2004.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Volunteers to Take Census of Wetland Birds

More than 150 people took part in a workshop of the Ornithologists Union of Chile, UNORCH, in the nation's capital, and volunteers received training to count birds in wetlands and establish databases to be used in species protection.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Eco-Museum in the Works

Artists, environmentalists, educators and historians have proposed to set up an Ecological Museum of Lake Maracaibo, upon a platform over this body of water near the shore of the city of the same name -- oil capital of western Venezuela.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Reforestation to Fight Drought

Two areas of southeastern Cuba hit especially hard by drought received international financing to plant trees -- cashews (Anacardium occidentale) and neems (Azadirachta indica) -- which will create new jobs and help protect both soil and biodiversity.

Sweet Experiment with Organic Sugar

Paraguay is the leading exporter of sugar produced without agrochemicals, a business that is forecast to move 26 million dollars in 2005.

Following the Dinosaur Tracks

A cement quarry in southern Bolivia reveals secrets of 294 species of animals that disappeared 65 million years ago.

Activists Fear Return of Spanish Fishing Vessels

Environmental activists in Argentina warn about the negative impacts of potential international fishing agreements that would affect the South Atlantic fisheries.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Ecologists Stop Construction on Reserve

A group of Honduran ecologists has convinced the government to revoke an environmental permit to build houses in the mountains of La Tigra national park, an important area for water and forest resources surrounding the capital.

Ecobreves – PERU:: Oil Company Sanctioned

Sixteen oil wells belonging to the Argentine transnational Pluspetrol, in the northeastern Peruvian department of Loreto, have been shut down as a sanction for contaminating some 100 hectares of forests and wetlands in the Huanganayacu gorge.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Successful Campaign Against Mining

A campaign led by a coalition of Argentine non-governmental organizations led the governor of the southern province of Río Negro, Miguel Saíz, to announce on June 4 a decree banning the use of cyanide and mercury in gold mining.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA : More Land for Peasant Farmers

Colombian Agriculture Minister Andrés Arias announced on June 5, during the Peasant Day celebrations, that this year some 40,000 hectares of land -- worth some seven million dollars -- will be handed over to rural workers.

IS US OF PRESIDENT BUSH THE GULAG OF OUR TIMES?

A hooded prisoner balanced on a box with wires dangling from his outstretched arms. A naked man cowering in terror as soldiers threatened him with snarling dogs. A Quran being desecrated. \'\'Offensive.\'\' \'\'Irresponsible.\'\' \'\'Reprehensible.\'\' \'\'Unfortunate and sad.\'\' \'\'Absurd.\'\' It would be natural to assume that these words were used to describe the horrific images detailed above -- but they were not. In fact, they are the words used over recent weeks by senior US officials in response to Amnesty International\'s Report 2005, writes Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. This defensive reaction was the latest in a long series of attempts by the US administration to deflect and divert attention from allegations of serious human rights abuses committed against detainees held in US custody in Guant namo, Bagram, and other undisclosed locations around the world. The outrage expressed by senior US officials including the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense at AI\'s condemnation of US policies and practices is not merely hypocritical but also a diversionary tactic to deflect attention from some hard truths. The Bush administration must stop attacking the messenger and begin dealing with the message, which is simple: close Guant namo detention camp and charge the detainees under US law in US courts or release them. Disclose the rest and carry out a full, independent investigation into US policies and practices on detention and interrogation including torture and ill-treatment.

Shrimp Industry Devastating Mangrove Forests

Ecuador and Honduras have suffered the worst cases of loss of coastal mangrove forests, warned the United Nations Environment Program on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Greenpeace's Glory Days Are Not Over

Although its impact in the industrialized world has been on the decline, peaceful protest will continue to be the driving force behind Greenpeace activities, said the group's executive director Gerd Leipold in a conversation with Tierramérica. Greenpeace is now setting its sights on Latin America and Asia