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Saturday, November 14, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Environment
Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Volcanic Ash Used to Make Bricks
Architects from Argentina have designed bricks for housing construction made from the huge amounts of ash that fell in the southern part of the country a year ago following the eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano chain in Chile.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Communities Planting Trees
The Honduran capital and the southern city of Choluteca are leading up an environmental awareness initiative based on the reforestation of watersheds and other deforested areas.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Deforestation Continues in Mata Altȃntica
Between May 2010 and May 2011, another 133 sq km of forests were cleared in the already devastated Mata Altȃntica (Atlantic Forest) biome of Brazil, according to data from the SOS Mata Altȃntica Foundation and the National Institute for Aerospace Research.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Climate Dialogue Forum Created
Five civil society organizations have established a national indigenous-campesino (peasant farmer) roundtable for dialogue and decision making on climate change, deforestation and soil degradation.
Activists Call for Creation of a High Commissioner for Future Generations at Rio+20
A High Commissioner for Future Generations would act to balance the short-term nature of government electoral cycles by advocating for the interests and needs of coming generations.
Fair Trade Is Alive and Well in Spain Despite Recession
Promoters of fair trade in Spain believe that the recession is helping to reawaken critical awareness among consumers.
Turning Disaster Management Strategy Into Action – Part 1
Islanders on India’s Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal, barely 144 kilometres from Sumatra, fled when they felt the first tremors of the 8.6 magnitude earthquake on Apr. 11. They leaped across creeks inhabited by estuarine crocodiles, haunted by memories of the devastating 2004 Asian tsunami that took the lives of thousands of people.
U.N. Aims To Offset its Own Carbon Footprint
As the international community readies for a global mega-conference on sustainable development in Brazil mid-June, the United Nations is determined to practice what it preaches to the outside world: improve resource efficiency and drastically reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions.
Dam Company in Chile Presses Gov’t for Supportive Policies
Colbún, the electricity generating company that co-owns HidroAysén and its multi-dam project in southern Chile, has recommended suspending the environmental impact assessment for power transmission lines that would connect the hydropower complex to the country's central grid, until the right conditions are in place.
For an Ailing Planet, the Cure Already Exists
The planet's climate recently reached a new milestone of 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the Arctic.Climate Change Drives Exodus to Jakarta
Another month of plying his ‘becak’ (trishaw) in the capital city and Sarjo will be coming back to this West Java district to harvest the rice ripening on his 1,400 sq m paddy.
RIO+20: Canada, Last Holdout, Drops Opposition to Water as Human Right
Canada, in a dramatic political turnaround, has signaled its willingness to recognise water and sanitation as a basic human right.
Rio+20 – a Call to Responsibility, a Call to Action
We are all going through a period of great confusion and uncertainty.
Cultivating Food Security in Their Own Backyards
Misradi, a 58-year-old farmer from the Jelok neighborhood in Pacitan, East Java, some 524 kilometres east of Jakarta, has found a way to reduce his monthly expenses by 30 percent: instead of buying produce from the local market, he and his family now harvest most of their vegetables from their own yard.U.S. Corporations Send Mixed Messages on Climate Science
According to a report released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) here on Wednesday, at least half of the U.S. corporations under review have actively supported the misrepresentation of the science around climate change.
Q&A: The World Must Learn From Smallholder Farmers
As Africa's Sahel region faces a new food crisis, smallholder famers hold the key to making future development policies sustainable.
Biomass Plantations Can Power India
Valli, 50, and Sarasu, 60, have been working with Energy Plantation Projects India (EPPI) since inception in 2007, the income they earn forming an integral part of their household budgets. "We easily manage household work and a salary-paying job," they tell IPS.Energy Agency Looks to Natural Gas “Golden Age”
If a series of "golden rules" can be followed, a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests, global natural gas usage could grow by more than 50 percent by 2035.
Brazilian Indigenous Community Seeks Survival Through Carbon Credits
Less than 45 years ago, the Paiter-Suruí, an indigenous people living deep inside the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, had never been in contact with the outside world. Today they hope to ensure their survival through the complex mechanisms of the carbon market.
Abrupt Shift from Drought to Flooding in Central Cuba
The sudden shift from drought to heavy rainfall that caused severe flooding in central Cuba drove home to the authorities the need to redesign preparedness and prevention plans for climate-related emergencies.
A Future With Food, or No Future At All
The upcoming Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development will not succeed if the crises of hunger and malnutrition are not effectively addressed. The issues are so inextricably linked with sustainable development that they have to be part of the agenda, according to a report released Wednesday by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) for the upcoming Earth Summit that will take place in Rio de Janeiro from Jun. 20-22.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Through our global network of local writers, we are continuing our award-winning coverage of global and local environmental challenges, with a focus on the people for whom the ecosphere matters in a direct way: rural dwellers who have little means to protect themselves against adverse conditions; communities that need to switch to sustainable development in order to survive; poor women and children, who are the most vulnerable in natural disasters. Sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and The World Bank (WB), IPS also maintains the award-winning Tierramérica, a specialised information service on environment and development.
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