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Sunday, November 15, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Environment
Legal Challenges Counter Plans for New Nuclear Reactors
Until this past February, the last time new nuclear power construction was approved in the United States was in 1978. But when the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved two proposed nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Georgia, on February 9 in a four to one vote, it took less than a week for the legal action to begin.
Brazilian Mining Giant under Fire for Deaths, Environmental Damage
Social movements from several countries accused Brazil’s Vale, the world’s second largest mining company, of causing serious environmental and social damage, as well as the deaths of 15 workers in labour accidents between 2010 and 2012.
Q&A: Harnessing the African Information Renaissance
About 140 million Africans are now on the internet. With half of the population under age 15 and 70 percent of the population under 30, social media is becoming an important feature in the continent's development path.OP-ED: The Road Less Traveled
The celebrated storyteller Mark Twain (1835-1910) wrote, "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover."Iceland Finds New Power in Farms
"With the fuel from the agriculture project, we are encouraging farmers to look at possibilities they might have to produce their own energy, while at the same time getting the Agricultural University and Farmers’ Association to work towards supporting and encouraging the farmers," says Haraldur Benediktsson, chair of the Icelandic Farmers’ Association about the campaign to reduce energy bought by farmers by 20 percent by 2015 and 80 percent by 2020.
Cloning – Lifeline for Cashmere Shawl Industry
After scientists in Kashmir successfully cloned the pashmina goat, that produces the famous ‘cashmere’ wool, hopes are running high for the revival of the traditional shawl-making industry in this Indian state.Massive Theft of Developing World’s Farmland
The mass acquisition or lease of arable land in developing countries, especially in Africa, by foreign investors – a practice aggravated by the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2007 – has reached record highs, according to several new studies.
Cameroonian Farmer Won’t Let Low Rainfall Defeat Him
Olivier Forgha Koumbou washes some freshly picked carrots in a small brook and eats them with relish. His thriving farm in Santa, in Cameroon’s North West region, looks like a miracle in the midst of surrounding farms where carrots, lettuce, potatoes and leeks have withered and died.
U.S.: Occupy Earth Day Targets Chevron
This year, Earth Day in Richmond, California was more than planting organic gardens or exploring solar panels.Sudan’s President Rules Out Talks with South
Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, has pledged not to negotiate with South Sudan amid reports of fresh air attacks on his country's southern neighbour.
Intra-African Trade or Global Integration: A Chicken-and-Egg Dilemma?
Though the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has long held that trade between African countries is too low, experts at the South Centre, an inter-governmental think tank of developing countries, say intra-continental trade is already significant in manufactured goods and promises a new path to industrialisation.
Civil Society Determined to Have an Impact on Río+20
An online platform to which up to 400,000 people can be connected at the same time will make it possible to propose recommendations to the leaders gathered at Rio+20.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Work of Local Water Boards to be Recognized at Rio+20
The Association of Water Administration Boards of the South Sector of Pico Bonito Park, in Honduras, will be recognized at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) for conserving water resources and the habitat of a species of hummingbird endemic to this Central American nation.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Environmentalists Call for Urgent Adoption of E-Waste Law
The environmental organization Greenpeace Argentina is calling for the swift approval of a proposed law on the collection and management of electronic waste, which was tabled in the country’s legislature four years ago.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Deforestation Endangers Northeastern Macaw
Deforestation of the caatinga, a semi-arid biome in northeastern Brazil, could place the blue-winged macaw (Ara maracana) in danger of extinction, according to a new study from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.
South Africa’s Smallholders Lose Battle for Seed Security
In an almost ceremonial manner, Selinah Mncwango opens her big plastic bag and pulls out several smaller packets, each filled with different types of seeds: sorghum, bean, pumpkin, and maize. They are her pride, her wealth, the "pillar of my family," says the farmer from a village in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
U.S.: Trekking for Wild Florida
There was a time when big, yellow cats freely roamed the length of a wild Florida. Today, three medium-sized humans are trekking the length of this southeastern U.S. state - 1,000 miles of swamp, forest, ranchland and blistered feet - in hopes that panthers may one day be able to safely tread the same path.ARGENTINA-SPAIN: Business Must Go On
Hundreds of Spanish companies continue to do business in Argentina, despite Madrid’s campaign in defence of Repsol, which controls YPF – the oil company that the government of Cristina Fernández plans to renationalise.
Brazil Must Do More for Rio+20, Former Ministers Say
Former ministers, lawmakers and environmental experts in Brazil are urging the government to take a more proactive stance to prevent the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development the country will host in June from falling short of the standard set by the preceding summit.
CARIBBEAN: Turning Landfills into Energy
The tourist brochure shows pictures of lovely white sandy beaches, tall coconut trees and rolling mountains. Welcome to the Caribbean.
South African Township Desperate for Safe Drinking Water
Thousands of residents in Diepsloot, a large township north of Johannesburg, South Africa, are queuing for hours to access clean, safe water a week after their supply was contaminated by sewage.« 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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