LATIN AMERICA STEERS A NEW COURSE

Latin America is undergoing a process of accelerated transformation. Considered the "backyard of the United States" for much of the last century, it suffered a string of coups d'etat and dictatorships, many piloted by neoliberal economists from the so-called "Chicago School". It is natural that the region would want to forget this past and move in another direction.

No Real Deal, and No Exit

Coral reefs are dying, glaciers are melting and rising sea levels threaten the homes of millions. The effects of climate change will continue and there is little room for optimism as the Copenhagen summit has come came to an end with disappointing results.

Climate Change: Scientific Fact, Not a Political Issue

It might take a story of huge cataclysm, like the one told by Komatu Sakyo in his 1973 novel "Japan Sinks", to convince the world to reach an accord that will steer it away from the suicidal path of global warming.

NGOs Getting Ready for Mexico

Latin America’s Green Path Forward

Aside from the impact on biodiversity Andes glacier disappearance will have a tremendous economic impact on some of the Latin America's poorest residents.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: New Diploma in Geology

Public and private Honduran institutions this month created the first diploma in geology, aimed at developing human resources to contribute to the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters.

Latin America: The Climate Clock Is Ticking

A new study suggests that Latin America would not incur great costs if it takes on commitments now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and takes immediate steps to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Indigenous Mythology and Global Warming

Phenomena like climate change have occurred in long-past eras of humanity, when the balance between people and nature was broken, writes anthropologist Marina Barbosa in this column.

December 12 Was a Tipping Point

Regardless of the words these presidents and prime ministers decide in a "protocol" or "agreement" this week, it is the people of the world who have put the writing on the wall!, says in this column Saleemul Huq.

No Water in Copenhagen Climate Talks

The climate change summit in Copenhagen has ignored the world's water problems, which will only worsen with global warming, say experts.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Micro Hydropower for Isolated Towns

The Hidropolio micro hydropower system is an alternative for bringing clean energy to some 10 million Brazilians living in isolated areas who otherwise lack electricity.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Residents Resist Mining Project

Residents of the northwestern Argentine province of Catamarca have kept up a roadblock on the access route to a mining site, because they say its exploitation by the Canadian firm Yamana Gold would harm the environment.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Eye on Native Christmas Tree Sales

Faced with competition from foreign species, native Christmas tree growers in the southern area of the Mexican capital are fighting to keep their plantations in business.

HAS THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE BECOME A WAR PRIZE?

In George Orwell's 1984, Big Brother issues the infamous slogan, "War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength." Is that where we have now arrived?

Honduras Heads List for Climate Risk

The poorest, whether countries or populations, are the ones least able to deal with the impacts of natural disasters related to climate change, says a new study presented at the climate summit in Copenhagen.

COP15 Is a “False Solutions Fair”

At the climate summit in Copenhagen, it's as if "everyonejust wants to go on avoiding what we really have to discuss, which is whatneeds to be done" to save the planet, says Brazilian feminist Miriam Nobre in this interview.

The Many Lives of the Tobin Tax

The urgent need to confront climate change in a context of global financial crisis has given new life to the "Tobin tax", an initiative for fiscal action on speculative transactions.

Chevron and Cultural Genocide in Ecuador

The disaster caused by Chevron/Texaco in the jungles of Ecuador is not a sentimental environmental cause, it is a matter of human rights, asserts Kerry Kennedy in this column.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Urban Pollution More Lethal Than Cholesterol

Polluted city air alters the molecular structure of "bad cholesterol" (LDL), facilitating the build-up of fatty layers in the arteries and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a study by Sandra Regina Castro Soares, for her doctorate in medicine at the University of São Paulo.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Suit Against Gov't to Go to Inter-American Court

A coalition of environmental defense groups in the northern region of Omoa will file a case in January 2010 against the Government of Honduras for failing to relocated the Mexican transnational Gas del Caribe, which is polluting the coastal zone.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Campaign Against Moss Christmas Decoration

Venezuela's Environment Ministry and National Guard have stepped up their campaign against the collection and sale of moss, which is traditionally used in Christian households to decorate Christmas Nativity scenes.