Environment

Brazilian Environmental Activists Killed in Shadow of Rio+20

By Fabiana Frayssinet
Far from the plush surroundings which hosted Rio+20, the most ambitious global conference on the environment of the past two decades, events in a fishing village in the state of Rio de Janeiro show the cost of fighting environmental crime can be as high as life itself.

Biodiversity Without Borders

By Patricia Grogg
The protection and conservation of biodiversity figure among the most daunting challenges posed by climate change in the Caribbean islands, home to a wealth of endemic species of flora and fauna.
Marco Arana is arrested by police in Cajamarca. Credit: Red Verde Cajamarca Blog

PERU: Anti-Mining Protesters Shot Amid Climate of Fear

By Milagros Salazar
In under two days, five demonstrators were gunned down by security forces in the northern Peruvian highlands region of Cajamarca, where a state of emergency has been declared.

“No Future We Want Without the Ocean We Need”

By Thalif Deen
When South Korea, one of Asia's rising economic powerhouses, decided to host the international exhibition Expo 2012 in the coastal town of Yeosu, it picked a theme high on the agenda of the just-concluded Rio+20 summit on sustainable development: the living ocean.

Aquaculture Boosts Papua New Guinea’s Food Security

By Catherine Wilson
The vast Sirinumu Reservoir in Central Province which supplies water and electricity to Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s capital, is home to a co-operative of 60 fish farmers who are successfully employing aquaculture to improve local incomes and food security.  

Activists to Appeal U.S. Court’s Bhopal Verdict

By Zoha Arshad
After a controversial ruling Friday in favour of Union Carbide, NGOs and activists associated with the 1984 Bhopal, India industrial disaster are appealing the decision in the U.S. second circuit court of appeals.

U.N. Calls for Tax on Ultrarich to Boost Development

By Haider Rizvi
What if billionaires the world over are asked to shell out at least one percent of their wealth as an international tax for development?

China Battles Desertification

By Manipadma Jena
As scientists increasingly label desertification as one of the most burning challenges facing the world today, a small village in China’s semi-arid Northeastern region of Inner Mongolia is fighting back.

Waste Not, Want Not – Providing for South Africa’s Food Security

By Yuven Gounden
As South Africa grapples with reducing its sanitation backlog, scientists seem to have found a way to reduce the build up while simultaneously combatting the country’s food insecurity. The solution? Safely using human waste as fertiliser.

Overpopulation on Uganda’s Mount Elgon Kills Hundreds

By Wambi Michael
The Ugandan government says it will forcibly remove people settling on the steep slopes of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda’s Bududa District, as the growing population has resulted in increased landslides in recent years.

Q&A: Changing Argentina’s Energy Mix Will Take Intelligence and Time

By Marcela Valente
The recovery of state control over the oil company YPF was a strategic move for Argentina, which is highly dependent on fossil fuels. But the country needs to incorporate cleaner sources of energy, and this will take time, says energy expert Mariana Matranga in this interview.

Green Bricks Pave Future for Female Workers

By Naimul Haq
At first glance the smart young women in white overcoats, black rubber boots and protective face masks seem out of place in impoverished Bangladesh’s dirtiest industry – brick making. 

Water and Slums Bright Spots in MDGs

By Carlota Cortes
An annual report card on the ambitious U.N.-led initiative known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) says that in three areas - poverty, slums and water – the goals have been met ahead of the 2015 deadline, but persistent gaps remain, notably in the critical area of maternal health.

Youth-Friendly Apps Visualise Carbon Footprint

By Ethan Freedman
Following what many regard as a disappointment at the recent Rio+20 Earth Summit, the World Bank and several groups have begun implementing new initiatives to "personalise" climate change, in hopes of revitalising the issue among the younger generation.

Poland Clings On to Coal

By Daan Bauwens
Coal has brought its own compulsions for Poland, as it has for many other countries in the call to move to more renewable and cleaner sources of energy.
Mariana Matranga outside the School of Engineering at the University of Buenos Aires. - Juan Moseinco/IPS

Changing Argentina’s Energy Mix Will Take Intelligence and Time

By Marcela Valente and - -
Unconventional gas and oil exploitation might be sensible in the short or medium term in Argentina. But in the long run, it will have to increase the use of other energy sources and reduce the weight of hydrocarbons, says specialist Mariana Matranga.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Injunction Requested Against GM Soy

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Non-governmental organizations and honey producers in the southern Mexican states of Yucatán and Chiapas have filed a petition with the federal court for an injunction against the government’s authorization of commercial production of genetically modified (GM) soybeans on an area of some 253,000 hectares.

Ecobreves – LATIN AMERICA: South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary Could Finally Become a Reality

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Environmental and civil society organizations in Latin America, with support from other regions, feel confident that an initiative for whale conservation in the South Atlantic will finally be approved this year.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Despite Awareness, Water Is Still Being Wasted

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Brazilians recognize that water is a limited resource, but they have yet to cultivate habits to preserve it, according to a survey conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Going It Alone After the Rio Circus

By Amantha Perera
The works starts now, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said at the conclusion of the summit on sustainable development in Rio last week. This was about the only UN statement that civil society groups seem to agree with. It is on the precise task at hand that they differ.

U.S. Sees Greatest Reduction in CO2 Emissions

By Matthew Charles Cardinale
According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency, the U.S. has seen the greatest reduction in carbon dioxide pollution within the past six years in comparison to any other country, even as global carbon dioxide pollution has reached record highs.
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