Tierramerica

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Energy from Garbage

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A biogas plant is in the works for turning carbon dioxide and methane produced by the Gramacho garbage dump into electricity. The sanitary landfill receives 7,950 tons of waste daily from the Rio metropolitan region.

Carbon sink

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The term used for natural mechanisms that absorb CO2 naturally.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Endangered Parrot Population On the Rise

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The population of parrots, an endemic but endangered species, has increased in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara, thanks to a program where the community plays a key role.

CFC gases

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A group of gases – part of the group called HFC gases – that have been used a lot industrially, for example in refrigerators or in firefighting appliances.

CO2

By IPS Correspondents and - -
CO2 is a gas, also known as carbon dioxide, which is formed by the burning of organic materials such as coal, oil, gas and wood.
Power lines in southern Mexico. Electricity is a major source of Mexico's greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: Mauricio Ramos/IPS

ENVIRONMENT: Mexico Yet to Cross Clean Energy Threshold

By Emilio Godoy
Despite its great potential for energy from the sun, wind and water, Mexico has not taken advantage of the Clean Development Mechanism laid out in the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Work begins on eco-paths in Rio's Rocinha slum. - Fabiana Frayssinet/IPS

Nature Paths Instead of Wall for Rio Slum

By Fabiana Frayssinet, IPS, and - -
Rio de Janeiro's largest slum has halted construction of a much-criticized wall in exchange for ecological and recreational corridors between the impoverished neighborhood and a city forest.
Powerlines in southern Mexico. Electricity is a major source of Mexico's greenhouse gas emissions. - Mauricio Ramos/IPS

Mexico Yet to Cross Clean Energy Threshold

By Emilio Godoy and - -
Mexico, chosen as this year's headquarters for celebrations of World Environment Day, is lagging behind in developing renewable energy sources.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Demands for Potable Water in Buenos Aires

By IPS Correspondents and - -
In less than a week, some 30,000 people participated in an action to demand potable water for the residents of the Matanza-Riachuelo watershed in Buenos Aires, the country's most polluted waterway.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Military Begins Reforestation Effort

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Honduran Armed Forces launched a campaign to plant one million trees in the country's most vulnerable areas, deputy Defense minister Lionel Sevilla told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Peasant Farmers Oppose Hydroelectric Dam

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Federal Electricity Commission of Mexico has put off until 2018 the construction of La Parota dam, in the southern state of Guerrero, but residents there say they will never allow it to be built.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Low-Income Housing with Solar Heaters

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The "My House My Life" program, which is slated to finance one million low-income housing units in Brazil in a bid to reactivate the economy and create jobs, will also promote the use of environmentally friendly materials and technologies, including solar energy.
James Lovelock is about to celebrate his 90th birthday. Credit: Courtesy of Sandy Lovelock

Q&A: "I Hope We Are Civilised When Climate Disaster Hits"

By Stephen Leahy
"When the first great climate disaster strikes, I hope we will all pull together just as if our nation were being invaded," says British scientist James Lovelock in this exclusive Tierramérica interview.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Orinoco Delta Now a Biosphere Reserve

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Orinoco Delta, Venezuela's youngest geological area at just one million years old, has been added to the network of 544 biosphere reserves of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Ecobreves – CHILE: No to a Gas Tax Cut

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Environmental groups in Chile oppose President Michelle Bachelet's decision to lower the maximum tax on gasoline until April 2010.
Harvesting cacao in Remolino. - Courtesy of Rodrigo Velaidez/Chocaguán

The Farmers Who Abandoned Coca for Cocoa

By Constanza Vieira, IPS, and - -
Amidst the violence of civil war and the illegal coca trade, a handful of Colombian farmers have embraced chocolate production in the Amazon forest.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Oil Exploration Threatens Marine Resources

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The oil exploration effort that the Honduran government plans for parts of the Caribbean coast endangers the marine areas of the Mesoamerican biological corridor, warned the Environmental Prosecutor's Office.
James Lovelock to celebrate 90th birthday. - Courtesy of Sandy Lovelock

“I Hope We Are Civilized When Climate Disaster Hits”

By Stephen Leahy and - -
"It's like the pre-World War II calm," says British scientist James Lovelock in describing the human situation and lack of action to adapt to global climate change.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Invasive Plants Gain Ground

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Cuban scientists have warned that this Caribbean island nation lacks an updated inventory of invasive plant species and sufficient information about the real damage they cause the ecosystems.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: University Students Take On E-Waste

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The University of São Paulo has opened Brazil's first government-run center for recycling electronic waste.
Aguilas Bay in Jaragua National Park Credit: Valeria Vilardo/IPS

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Tourism Threatens Natural Treasure

By Valeria Vilardo
Jaragua National Park, famous for housing the world's tiniest reptile, will itself be in danger if the green light is given to mega-hotel projects instead of ecotourism and sustainable development initiatives, say Dominican ecologists.
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