Languages
Friday, October 23, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Tierramerica - Ecobrief
Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Promoting Organic Products
A national campaign to promote organic products began June 23 in Brazil, where at least 20,000 farmers, mostly running small operations, are dedicated to growing agrochemical-free crops on a total of 6.5 million hectares.
Ecobreves – CUBA: Beneficial Uses of Tobacco
Cuban scientists announced they are studying the extraction of solanesol from tobacco plants, in a search for additional benefits to the island's famous industry of hand-rolled cigars. The extract is the precursor of an antioxidant with anti-carcinogen properties.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Catholic Cardinal Urges Against Giving In to Gold
Catholic Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez has exhorted the executive and legislative branches of the Honduran government not to give in to pressure from the transnational mining corporations that want to expand open pit mining in this Central American country.
Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Responsible Fishing Code Not Applied
The Argentine environmental group Fundación Vida Silvestre warns that there is a gap between the local fishing reality and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing, of the Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency.Ecobreves – GLOBAL: Marine Bio-Riches in Danger
Fishing worldwide is growing so quickly that it has surpassed the regulating capacity of institutions, making it urgent to adopt new conservation measures, says a report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).Ecobreves – BRAZIL: A Bid to Put Brakes on Transgenic Cotton
The Brazilian Ministry of Environment is trying to prevent the legalization of planting Bollgard genetically modified cotton, and has asked the National Technical Commission on Biosafety to revise the authorization for its commercial cultivation, issued a year ago.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: 100 Million Plants for El Avila
El Avila mountain, which separates the Venezuelan capital from the Caribbean coast and is the center of a national park covering 85,000 hectares, will have 100 million plants cultivated on its slopes as part of the government program known as Misión Arbol (Mission Tree).
Ecobreves – CHILE: Award for Worst Polluting Businessman
On Jun. 5, World Environment Day, the eco-watchdog Greenpeace awarded its 2006 Environmental "Condorazo" Prize to magnate Anacleto Angelini, accused of being responsible for ecological disasters caused by pulp mill factories in southern Chile.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Guaraná's Secrets to Be Revealed
The Amazonian Legal Network of Genomic Research, REALGENE, made up of seven universities and three research centers in the region, deciphered the useful part of the genome of guaraná (Paullinia cupana), a fruit found exclusively in the Brazilian Amazon.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Use Water Filters!
The Guatemalan association Afaguatemala is promoting the use of a low-cost, artisanal filter to purify water, says the inventor, Gernando Mazariegos.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Artificial Rain from Potable Water
A method developed in Brazil and approved by the southern states of Sao Paulo and Santa Catarina, will produce artificial rains by seeding clouds with potable water, free of chemical products.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA:: A Push for Mango Crops
- Mango growers in Guatemala seek to increase their crop, following the 200-percent growth of exports in the last decade.
Ecobreves – HONDURAS: New Threats Against Father Tamayo
Catholic priest Andrés Tamayo did not heed the threats of expulsion from residents and logging businesses who demanded that he leave the northeastern Honduran department of Olancho by May 31.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Zoos Preserve Threatened Species
Experts called for strengthening the role of zoos in the preservation of biodiversity, during the 30th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Zoos, which concluded in Brasilia on May 2.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Award for New Wood-Burning Stove
A highly efficient and low emission wood-burning stove, designed in Mexico for low-income populations, received one of the Britain-based Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Uranium Victims Await Justice
A couple ill with cancer were accepted this month as plaintiffs by the Argentine judiciary, which is investigating charges of uranium contamination of water near the Ezeiza Atomic Center, in Buenos Aires province.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: 20 Years for the Green College
With the support of the Dutch government, the "Colegio Verde de villa de Leyva", in the central Colombian department of Boyacá, will celebrate its 20th anniversary June 5-6 with a seminar-workshop titled "Oversight of the responsibility and social impact of environmental projects."
Ecobreves – CHILE: Drought-Resistant Eucalyptus Cloned
Eucalyptus trees resistant to drought have been cloned -- reproduced through genetic manipulation -- for reforestation plans and forestry development in Chile's arid zones.Ecobreves – CUBA: Alert for 2006 Hurricane Season
- A good portion of Cuba's 11.2 million people participated May 20-21 in the extreme weather drill organized by the government to test the disaster prevention system ahead of the hurricane season's official start date: June 1.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Biodiversity Contest
The environmental organization Vitalis convened on May 22 a contest of ideas to learn about and preserve Venezuelan biodiversity, targeting university students from all fields and a awarding a trip to Germany for the 10 project winnersEcobreves – BRAZIL: New Formula for Cleaner Diesel
Brazil's national oil giant Petrobras has developed the formula H-Bio, which adds hydrogenated vegetable oil to diesel, improving the quality of the fuel and reducing pollution.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Tierramérica is the main communications platform on sustainable development and the environment in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is produced by IPS Noticias, the agency’s Spanish-language service, which created it jointly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with later support from the World Bank. The weekly editions of Tierramérica are published in Spanish, Portuguese and English and are picked up and printed by dozens of media outlets in the region. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
The Week with IPS
NEXT STOP - SDGs
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
