Environment

Can Land Rights and Education Save an Ancient Indian Tribe?

By Manipadma Jena
Scattered across 31 remote hilltop villages on a mountain range that towers 1,500 to 4,000 feet above sea level, in the Malkangiri district of India’s eastern Odisha state, the Upper Bonda people are considered one of this country’s most ancient tribes, having barely altered their lifestyle in over a thousand years.

Recurrent Cholera Outbreak in Far North Cameroon Highlights Development Gaps

By Monde Kingsley Nfor
Under a scorching sun, with temperatures soaring to over 40 degrees Celsius, Lara Adama’s family is forced to dig for water from a dried-out river bed in Dumai, in northern Cameroon. 

Island States to Rally Donors at Samoa Meet

By Desmond Brown
Amid accelerating climate change and other challenges, a major international conference in the South Pacific island nation of Samoa next month represents a key chance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean to turn the tide.

Does Iceland Gain From Whaling?

By Lowana Veal
Although fin whaling by Icelanders has encountered increasing opposition over the last year, Icelandic whaling boats headed off to sea again in mid-June for the first hunt of the summer and by August 14 had killed 80 fin whales.

Socialists Could Turn to Environmentalist after Candidate’s Death

By Mario Osava
The death of socialist presidential candidate Eduardo Campos opens up an unexpected opportunity for environmental leader Marina Silva to return with renewed strength to the struggle to govern Brazil, offering a “third way” in a highly polarised campaign.

Protecting America’s Underwater Serengeti

By Christopher Pala
U.S. President Barack Obama has proposed to more than double the world’s no-fishing areas to protect what some call America’s underwater Serengeti, a series of California-sized swaths of Pacific Ocean where 1,000-pound marlin cruise by 30-foot-wide manta rays around underwater mountains filled with rare or unique species.

Brazil’s “Dalai Lama of the Rainforest” Faces Death Threats

By Fabíola Ortiz
Davi Kopenawa, the leader of the Yanomami people in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, who is internationally renowned for his struggle against encroachment on indigenous land by landowners and illegal miners, is now fighting a new battle - this time against death threats received by him and his family.

U.S. Waives Sanctions on Myanmar Timber

By Carey L. Biron
Civil society groups are split over a decision by the U.S. government to waive sanctions on Myanmar’s timber sector for one year.

Adaptation Gaps Mean African Farmers Fork Out More Money for Reduced Harvests

By Monde Kingsley Nfor
In Cameroon's Northwest Region, Judith Muma walks 9km from her home to her 300-square-metre farm. The vegetables she grows here are flourishing thanks to the money she has borrowed from her njangi (thrift group) and a local credit union to finance a small artisanal irrigation scheme.

Mining Firms in Peru Mount Legal Offensive Against Inspection Tax

By Milagros Salazar
The leading mining companies in Peru have brought a rash of lawsuits to fight an increase in the tax they pay to cover the costs of inspections and oversight of their potentially environmentally damaging activities.

It Takes More than Two to Tango – or to Clean up Argentina’s Riachuelo River

By Fabiana Frayssinet
Immortalised by a famous tango, the “Niebla del riachuelo” (Mist over the Riachuelo river) has begun to dissipate over Argentina’s most polluted river, much of which is lined by factories and slums. But two centuries of neglect and a complex web of political and economic interests are hindering a clean-up plan that requires a broad, concerted effort.

Eco-Friendly Agriculture Puts Down Roots in Spain

By Inés Benítez
José María Gómez squats and pulls up a bunch of carrots from the soil as well as a few leeks. This farmer from southern Spain believes organic farming is more than just not using pesticides and other chemicals – it’s a way of life, he says, which requires creativity and respect for nature.

Putting the Littlest Disaster Victims on the Caribbean’s Climate Agenda

By Desmond Brown
Children are often the forgotten ones when policy-makers map out strategies to deal with climate change, even as they are least capable of fending for themselves in times of trouble.

Chile’s Patagonia Seeks Small-Scale Energy Autonomy

By Marianela Jarroud
The southern region of Aysén in Chile’s Patagonian wilderness has the highest energy costs in the entire country. And the regional capital, Coyhaique, is the most polluted city in the nation, even though it has huge potential for hydroelectricity and wind power.

Swamped by Rising Seas, Small Islands Seek a Lifeline

By Thalif Deen
The world's 52 small island developing states (SIDS), some in danger of being wiped off the face of the earth because of sea-level rise triggered by climate change, will be the focus of an international conference in the South Pacific island nation of Samoa next month.

Nepal’s Poor Live in the Shadow of Natural Disasters

By Naresh Newar
Barely 100 km north of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, the settlement of Jure, which forms part of the village of Mankha, has become a tragic example of how the country’s poorest rural communities are the first and worst victims of natural disasters.

For Disenfranchised Haitian Islanders, Tourism Signals a Paradise Lost

By Judith Scherr
Calm waters lap the shore beneath stately coconut palms. Mango trees display their bounty alongside mangrove forests. Goats graze peacefully on hillsides.

Women Warriors Take Environmental Protection into Their Own Hands

By Amantha Perera
Aleta Baun, an Indonesian environmental activist known in her community as Mama Aleta, has a penchant for wearing a colourful scarf on her head, but not for cosmetic reasons.

The Deadly Occupation Attracting Kenya’s Youth

By Robert Kibet
Allan Karanja, 22, is a sand harvester. His job is a complex and arduous one that involves him working in deep pits, equipped only with a shovel, crowbar and no protective gear, as he mines sand. It’s also a deadly occupation.

Chile Taps Solar Thermal Energy with Latin America’s First Plant

By Marianela Jarroud
With the first solar thermal power plant in Latin America, Chile hopes to begin to alleviate its energy crisis, which threatens to further drive up the high cost of electricity and to hinder the growth of investment, especially in the mining industry.

Bringing “Smart” Building Technology to Jamaica’s Shantytowns

By Jewel Fraser
Buildings are among the largest consumers of earth’s natural resources. According to the Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative, they use about 40 percent of global energy and 25 percent of global water, while emitting about a third of greenhouse gas emissions.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*