THE RISE OF RETRO POPULISM

The twentieth anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall reminded Americans of just how heady it felt when a triumphant America stood astride a collapsing Soviet empire. Two decades later, Americans find themselves bewildered and resentful. Many are now asking, Where did it all go?

Latin America Between Hope and Realism

Representatives of Latin America's governments are arriving in Copenhagen calling for an aggressive pact with teeth to fight climate change, though there are still minor differences among them when it comes to priorities.

Solar Villages Light Up in the Andes

The light and heat of the sun are valuable natural resources that are abundant in Argentina's arid northern Puna, or high plains.

Ecobreves – ECOBRIEFS: BRAZIL

The sisal plant (Agave sisalana), whose fiber serves as a raw material for making sacks, crafts and furniture, also produces an effective natural insecticide according to scientists at the State University of Feira de Santana, in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahía.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Women Learn Forest Management

Over the past five years, some 11,000 women from western Honduras have learned forest management techniques to undertake community forestry and to diversify small farming operations, utilizing environmentally friendly methods.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Youth Need Climate Education

Environmental groups should better coordinate their campaigns against climate change and focus more on young people, says Claudia Gómez-Portugal, strategic director of Sakbé, a Mexican organization focused on environmental communication.

A BAD START TO THE NEW CENTURY

Sadly one would have to agree that the first decade of the new century is not a cause for optimism. Not only have we not solved the problems that we had, other even more difficult ones have been added to the list.

INVESTING IN CLIMATE PROSPERITY

The world's giant pension and institutional funds (university and foundation endowments) are seeing the light on climate issues. As governments wrangle over how to cap carbon and other pollutants, how much it will cost, and who should pay, private investors in North America, Europe, China, India, Japan, and Brazil have been quietly investing in the solution: shifting to low-carbon, cleaner, renewable energy and smarter, more efficient infrastructure and transportation.

Risk Insurance and Climate Change

Latin America's agricultural losses could be severe over the long term as a result of climate change.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Alarm Sounds on GM Crop Expansion

The area in Chile planted with genetically modified crops - mostly maize, soy and canola - expanded from 24,921 hectares in 2007 to 30,101 hectares in 2008-2009, "without sufficient regulations to protect traditional seeds and the sites of origin."

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Eco-Plastic Made from Quinoa

Quinoa, a pseudo-cereal that is a complete protein source native to the Andes, is also the raw material for a biodegradable plastic developed by Brazil's University of Campinas.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Organizing Against Climate Change

People in the farming town of Panaquire, population 7,000, founded three centuries ago on a flood-vulnerable plain southeast of Caracas, have organized in order to predict the effects of climate change through a community-based early warning weather system.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Farming Stands Up to El Niño

Food security is guaranteed for Honduras next year because the cyclical weather phenomenon known as El Niño did not hurt the production of basic grains, official and private sources told Tierramérica.

Mexico Has Big Plans for Ethanol from Algae

A biological process in which blue-green algae produces ethanol will be the basis for fuel production by a Mexican company beginning next year.

Latin America's Perpetual Fever

Twenty-three Latin American scientists responded to an extensive questionnaire from Tierramérica. The result is a map of the biggest challenges that climate change poses for the region, from a journalistic perspective.

Sponge Farms – New Source of Bounty from the Sea

In a Cuban village thrashed by heavy sea swells and reliant on increasingly depleted fish stocks, the farming of sponges is emerging as a strong alternative for income and development.

Miracle in the Mangrove Forest

Despite the political crisis Honduras has been experiencing since the Jun. 28 coup, women on the country's southern coast are working to help nature recover as a means to save their community.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Climate Change a Boon for Sugarcane?

Sugarcane crops will see a 32-percent production boost by 2050 if the planet's average temperature increases two degrees Celsius, according to a study by Brazil's University of São Paulo conducted in the nearby sugar-producing region of Piracicaba.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Potable Water Crisis in Tegucigalpa

The climate phenomenon known as El Niño is taking its toll on the Honduran capital, where water reserves are predicted to run out in six months if strict rationing measures are not taken immediately.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Money Available for Eco-Projects

The "Fondo para las Américas" (Fund for the Americas), created in 1993 by Argentina and the United States, launched a new call for applications to finance projects of non-governmental organizations here that work on environmental and children's issues.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Green Energy as Source of Jobs

The development of eco-friendly energy could produce 500,000 jobs in Mexico, according to the environmental watchdog group Greenpeace.