Environment

Obama to Tighten Fuel and Emissions Rules

By Bryant Harris
In an effort to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, President Barack Obama on Tuesday directed his administration to develop new fuel efficiency and emissions standards for trucks within the year.

Half of U.S. Farmland Being Eyed by Private Equity

By Carey L. Biron
An estimated 400 million acres of farmland in the United States will likely change hands over the coming two decades as older farmers retire, even as new evidence indicates this land is being strongly pursued by private equity investors.

Climate Change Triggers Disease Risk in Tanzania

By Kizito Makoye
Residents in low-lying areas in Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, are potentially at risk of contracting waterborne diseases as heavy rains, which started last week, continue to pound the city.

“Blessed” Rains Become a Curse in Antigua

By Desmond Brown
Antigua is one of the most drought-prone countries in the Caribbean. So whenever it rains, the inhabitants generally regard the weather as “showers of blessing”.

Plugging South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Leaks

By Melany Bendix
The South African government’s earnest rush to provide water to millions of people post-apartheid may have jeopardised its attempts to provide services to the country in the long run.

DRC Mega-Dam to Be Funded by Private Sector, Groups Charge

By Carey L. Biron

Watchdog groups here are warning that a deal has been struck that would see Chinese investors fund a massive, contentious dam on the Congo River, the first phase of a project that could eventually be the largest hydroelectric project in the world.

Website Welcomes Wildlife Trafficking Whistleblowers

By Ramy Srour
A group of international organisations fighting illicit wildlife trafficking has unveiled a new website aimed at assisting whistleblowers who want to aid in the fight against wildlife crimes.

Fossil Fuel Subsidies Dampen Shift Towards Renewables

By Samuel Oakford
Despite evolving public awareness and alarm over climate change, subsidies for the production and consumption of fossil fuels remain a stubborn impediment to shifting the world’s energy matrix towards renewable sources.

Vieques Goes from Bombs to Beets

By Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero
A decade after the United States Navy’s departure, the Puerto Rican island town of Vieques faces new challenges, and the rebirth of its agriculture sector is hampered by a legacy of toxic military trash that has uncertain consequences.

Iron Hell in Brazil’s Amazon Region

By Mario Osava
“My nephew was eight years old when he stepped in the ‘munha’ [charcoal dust] and burned his legs up to the knees,” said Angelita Alves de Oliveira from a corner of Brazil’s Amazonia that has become a deadly hazard for local people.

Egypt’s Generals Face a Watery Battle

By Shelly Kittleson
Heavy reliance on water intensive crops, a major upstream dam project for the Nile basin, and rising groundwater levels pushing at pharaoh-era monuments will be pressing issues for the next Egyptian president - whether military or civilian.

U.S. Selling Coal Mining Rights at Undervalued Prices

By Bryant Harris
The U.S. government is violating federal leasing policies when it sells land to certain coal-mining companies, according to a new audit from an official watchdog agency.

After Slowdown, Global Fight for Land Rights at Tipping Point

By Carey L. Biron
Global trends towards a strengthening of legal rights over land for local and indigenous communities appear to have slowed significantly in recent years, leading some analysts to warn that the fight for local control over forests has reached an inflection point with a new danger of backtracking on previous progress.

Carbon-Neutral Costa Rica: A Climate Change Mirage?

By Diego Arguedas Ortiz
Meeting Costa Rica’s self-imposed goal of being the first country in the world to achieve carbon neutrality by 2021 will depend on the priority given this aim by the winner of the second round of the presidential elections in April.

Saving the Tiny Island of Petite Martinique

By Peter Richards
Sanchez is a small central business district in Petite Martinique, the tiny island that forms part of the tri-nation state of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

U.S. Moves Towards Approval of Keystone Pipeline

By Carey L. Biron
The U.S. government has taken a significant step towards approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, a highly contentious project that has unified environmental groups here in opposition to what they say would be a climate catastrophe.

Gender Counts in the Aftermath of Disaster

By Jewel Fraser
The rise in natural disasters in the Caribbean due to climate change has led to increased suffering for both men and women, much of it as a consequence of socially constructed roles based on gender, experts say.

A Nation Chewing Itself to Death

By Cam McGrath
The Yemeni capital of Sanaa is reputed to be over 2,500 years old, making it one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. But it is living on borrowed time.

Nile Delta Disappearing Beneath the Sea

By Cam McGrath
It only takes a light covering of seawater to render land infertile, so Mohamed Saeed keeps a close watch on the sea as it advances year after year towards his two-hectare plot of land. The young farmer, whose clover field lies just 400 metres from Egypt's northern coast, reckons he has less than a decade before his field – and livelihood – submerges beneath the sea.

Caribbean Walks the Talk on Clean Energy Policy

By Desmond Brown
Despite having an abundance of wind and sunshine, Caribbean countries have found that going green is requiring significant shifts in policy, and most importantly, significant financing.

U.S. Tightens Development Safeguards

By Carey L. Biron
Development activists and rights watchdogs are applauding a surprise strengthening of environmental and human rights policies governing U.S. development funding and overseas financial assistance.
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