Ecobreves – HONDURAS: A Boost for Community Gardens

The Honduran capital's city government is setting up organic community gardens to improve food security in low-income neighborhoods, given the forecasts for local food shortages resulting from climate change and deforestation.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Rain Shortages in the North to Worsen in 21st Century

By 2100, droughts will be as much as 40 percent more severe in the Brazilian Amazon and Northeast regions, and rainfall 30 percent more intense in the southeast of South America, including the Paraná-La Plata Basin, predicts a report from the National Institute for Climate Change Science and Technology (INCT).

AS PROTESTS ENGULF NORTH AFRICA, WHERE IS THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN UNION?

As the world discusses the protests and battles sweeping North Africa -most recently in Libya- where is the African Union (AU)? Numerous multilateral bodies have called for respect for human rights and an end to state-sponsored violence, including the European Union (EU), the Arab League, and the United Nations.

“The Trial Against Chevron Is Totally Corrupt”

The court ruling ordering Chevron to pay Ecuadorian communities damages arising from its operations is the "product of fraud," James Craig, a representative of the oil company, says.

Women in Agriculture: Gender Gaps Are Holding Back Development

A more equitable distribution of agricultural assets, inputs, and services between men and women could increase overall food production in the developing world by 2.5 to 4 percent.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Solidarity Economy Legislation Under Study

Draft legislation to foster the development of a solidarity economy is under study in two Mexican states and could promote more environmentally friendly food production, its supporters say.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Cheaper and Cleaner Desalination

An engineer from Cape Verde working at the University of São Paulo Polytechnic School in Brazil has developed a system to transform saltwater into drinking water that is both cheaper than current methods and less harmful for the environment.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Regulations for Glacier Protection Law Criticised

The regulations adopted to enforce Argentina’s new glacier protection law do not guarantee the urgently needed protection of sensitive areas where mining activities are already taking place, warn environmental activists.

CUBA: BETWEEN SOCIALISM AND THE MARKET

The process of change now taking place in Cuba has given rise to radical analyses in which a part of the left denounces the betrayal of socialism while a part of the right proclaims the collapse of the regime. Seen from the island itself, things are no where near so simple. Quite to the contrary.

AFRICA: CORRECTING HISTORICAL INJUSTICES IN THE WORLD TRADE RULEBOOK

Why did Africa move from being a net exporter to a net importer of food in the 1980s when the prices of its key commodity exports tumbled and its agriculture slowed down? Its food trade deficit is now around USD 20 billion and, given the current rise in prices, could get much worse.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: The Monarch Returns

The population of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and the forest area it occupies in Mexico grew last year in comparison to 2009, according to reports from various organizations.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Greater Local Autonomy for Environmental Management

Honduras will promote the autonomy of local governments in environmental management, putting administrative tasks in their hands, like authorizing minor construction permits and charging specific taxes.

“The Verdict Against Chevron Is Enforceable, Because It Is Just”

"Many people said that an Ecuadorean court would never rule against a big transnational corporation," Juan Pablo Sáenz told Tierramérica. He is the youngest on the Ecuadorean prosecuting team against Chevron in the environmental case of the century.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: From Coffee Dregs to Biofuel

Coffee dregs can be used to produce biodiesel. That is the result of an experiment of the Polytechnic School's chemical engineering department at the University of São Paulo.

A VICTORIOUS DAY FOR PEOPLE POWER – WHAT NEXT?

After 18 days of massive nonviolent demonstrations, Egypt's president Mubarak finally stepped down. This historic achievement by a million heroes was inspired by Tunisia. It had no leaders, of course, because leaders are easy targets. Everybody united around one idea, the ouster of Mubarak--like of Ben Ali in Tunisia.

Pollution Is a Masculine Noun

Poor eating habits and inefficient use of transportation mean men are responsible for more emissions of climate-changing carbon dioxide than women are.

Peanuts in Times of Food Crisis

A rural cooperative in southern Mexico aims to revive the peanut, a crop whose nutritional value provides a weapon against hunger.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Falling Short in Preserving Atlantic Biome

Just two of the 51 conservation objectives for Brazil's Mata Atlântica forest have been met, says a study by the Brazilian chapter of Word Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: UNESCO Urges More Protection for the Río Plátano Biosphere

A technical team from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) sent a recommendation to the Honduran government to improve protection of the Río Plátano Biosphere, which extends through three of the country's 18 departments.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Freshwater Dolphins Victims of Polluted Water

Two of the five freshwater dolphins, known here as "toninas" (Inia geoffrensis), in the aquarium of Valencia, west of Caracas, died this month as a result of illnesses caused by poor water quality, said Adelio Valente, of the Friends of the Toninas Movement.

A CALL TO OUTRAGE

He is 93 years old. His name is Stephane Hessel, and the story of his life reads like a fantastical novel. In a way it was even before his birth. Some of you may remember Francois Truffaut's film "Jules et Jim". The non-conformist woman played by Jeanne Moreau and one of her two lovers [1], Jules, a German Jewish translator of Proust, were his parents. In the artistic environment of Paris of the 20s and 30s, Stephane Hessel grew up surrounded by the friends that filled his house, including philosopher Walter Benjamin, Dadaist Marcel Duchamp, and sculptor Alexander Calder.