Environment

Christmas Deluge Brings Disaster to Eastern Caribbean

By Desmond Brown
Colleen James arrived in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from Canada two days before Christmas hoping to enjoy the holiday season with her family. Now she’s getting ready to bury her two-year-old daughter and 18-year-old sister.

Arab Spring Breeds More Trade in Exotic Pets

By Cam McGrath
At a small pet shop in an upscale Cairo neighbourhood, puppies, kittens and sickly-looking parakeets occupy the cages behind the storefront window. But if you want more exciting and exotic animals – such as crocodiles or lion cubs - just ask behind the counter.

Need for Firewood Raises Threat for Georgia’s Christmas Tree Trade

By Molly Corso
The South Caucasus country of Georgia is a source of much sought-after Christmas tree seeds. But its own forests are now under threat, as firewood is in increasing demand as a cheap source of heat for homes, schools and hospitals.

Mystery Oil Spill Turns Miles of Trinidad’s Beaches Black

By Peter Richards
Whether it is a case of sabotage or simply poor management practices by the state-owned PETROTRIN, as the union claims, a mysterious oil spill in south Trinidad is wreaking havoc on homes and wildlife in the area.

In the Philippines, a Vortex of Climate Change and Debt

By Samuel Oakford
Since Typhoon Yolanda made landfall in the Philippines on Nov. 8, the country has sent holders of its debt close to one billion dollars, surpassing, in less than two months, the 800 million dollars the U.N. has asked of international donors to help rebuild the ravaged central region of the archipelago.

Taste Test Stymies Caribbean’s Climate-Resistant Crops

By Jewel Fraser
Ramdeo Boondoo, a root crop farmer in Caroni, Trinidad, understands better than most the challenge of developing crops that are both climate resilient and marketable.

Caring for Water Is a Must for Brazil’s Energy Industry

By Mario Osava
As they build huge hydropower dams, the Brazilian government and companies have run into resistance from environmentalists, indigenous groups and social movements. But the binational Itaipú plant is an exception, where cooperation is the name of the game.

And Now This Filthy Flood

By Mohammed Omer
Wearing tattered shoes and hopping between dirty puddles, 14-year-old Sabeh manages to find his way to the market at the Al Shati refugee camp, one of Gaza’s most heavily populated and poor areas.

Nevis Embarks on Geothermal Energy Journey

By Desmond Brown
The tiny island of Nevis in the northern region of the Lesser Antilles is one of the few remaining unspoiled places in the Caribbean. It is now seeking to become the greenest, joining a growing list of Caribbean countries pursuing clean geothermal power.

Nuclear Energy Small but Strategic in Brazil

By Fabíola Ortiz
Brazil has continued to develop nuclear energy despite the costs involved and the fact that the industry will never account for more than a small portion of the country’s energy production.

WASH Still a Work in Progress in Zimbabwe

By Ish Mafundikwa
Ish Mafundikwa reports from Harare that five years after the deadly cholera outbreak that hit Zimbabwe, the country is still struggling to upgrade its water and sanitation infrastructure.

Bicycle Use Booming in Latin America

By Estrella Gutiérrez
“I ride 43 km a day and I love it,” said Carlos Cantor in Bogotá, Colombia. “Five years ago I switched my car for a bike,” explained Tomás Fuenzalida from Santiago, Chile.

Food Security Can Come in Tiny, Wiggly Packages

By Amy Fallon

It is known as the land of copper to the outside world, but there’s another c-word that does a roaring trade in Zambia, albeit locally - caterpillars.

Dam the Fish

By Michelle Tolson
“I prefer the dam to the fish,” says middle-aged farmer Ton Noun, when asked his opinion on a proposed 400 megawatt dam on Sesan river near his home in northeastern Cambodia. Then he chuckles and asks, “What fish?”

U.S. Wind Industry Buffeted by Uncertainty

By Carey L. Biron
The U.S. wind industry looks set to enter a period of uncertainty, with an important government subsidy expiring at the end of the month and no clear plan for lawmakers to work towards an extension.

An Argentine Town that ‘Celebrates’ Garbage

By Fabiana Frayssinet
Towns traditionally celebrate their most characteristic aspect. So the town of Bouwer in central Argentina decided to “celebrate” garbage.

Italian Mafia Up To Dirty Business

By Keya Acharya
The beauty of the Bay of Naples under a setting sun, the romance of Sorrento and the scenic splendour of the Amalfi coastline pull thousands of visitors to southern Italy. But the region is also home to an ugly truth.

Zero Garbage Plan Tied to Fate of Ousted Bogotá Mayor

By Constanza Vieira
The ousted left-wing mayor of the Colombian capital, Gustavo Petro, is a casualty of the battle over the introduction of a Zero Garbage programme, which had included thousands of informal recyclers in the waste disposal business.

Climate Makes Refugees Out of Young Ghanaians

By Albert Oppong-Ansah
It was 20-year-old Fizer Boa who first migrated south to Ghana’s capital, Accra, to work in the local Abobloshie market as a porter or “Kayayei”.

Mundurukú Indians in Brazil Protest Tapajós Dams

By Fabíola Ortiz
It took them three days to make the 2,000-km journey by bus from their Amazon jungle villages.

OP-ED: Schools Bring Hope in Devastated Philippines

By Kate Donovan
Last Sunday, I bought a bouquet of 45 small fresh yellow chrysanthemums. They cost me three dollars – not cheap for these parts. They were in a bucket in front of a tiny shop crammed with workers and customers in the heart of Tacloban City.
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