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Sunday, November 8, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Energy for Amazon's Frontiers
Oil from the inaja palm, or great Brazilian palm (Maximiliana regia), will be used to fuel small electrical plants for isolated communities in the Amazonian frontier.
Argentina to Study Effects of Spill in Antarctica
Although it is a light fuel, diesel spilled by the Nordkapp cruise ship could hurt Antarctica's biodiversity, including its emblematic penguins. The Argentine National Directorate of the Antarctic is preparing a study.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Contamination from Mine Confirmed
Contamination of the main source of potable water for the Honduran town of Valle de Angeles, 20 minutes from the capital, is the result of waste found at the mouth of a mine that was shut down 50 years ago, according to CESSCO, a contamination control and research center.Ecobreves – CUBA: Demolishing Construction to Save Varadero
From 1996 to date, more than 80 buildings and three kilometers of walls and fences on the dunes in the resort of Varadero have been demolished as part of an integrated management program.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Sustainable Buildings on the Rise
To promote construction of sustainable residential and commercial buildings -- a still-emerging sector in North America -- government officials, architects, engineers and other experts from Mexico, United States and Canada are meeting here this month.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Sport Hunting a Boost for Puma Trafficking
Fourteen pumas (Felis concolor), being kept illegally, were rescued by the Natural Resources Directorate of the central Argentine province of La Pampa in operations on Jan. 26 and Jan. 31.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: At the Gates of the Carbon Market
The Honduran government announced that in the next two months it will launch a reforestation effort in the northern mountains of Pico Bonito, a pilot project for selling carbon credits to national and foreign investors.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Nuts for Energy
The shell of the Brazil nut (Bertholettia excelsa), normally thrown out as waste, is a better source of energy than the best plant-based charcoal used in Brazil's steel industry, says the National Institute of Amazonian Research.
Climate Change, Yes – But How Fast?
For some, it is a realistic assessment -- for others, it is too conservative. Experts consulted by Tierramérica react to the fourth report by the global panel of climate change experts, which predicts an average global temperature increase of 1.8 to 4 degrees Celsius.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: CFC Production Falls
Venezuela will produce 4,000 tons fewer of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) annually, and 2,900 less in 2008, thanks to the closure of Produven, the leading local manufacturer of these refrigerants that deplete the Earth's atmospheric ozone layer.Ecobreves – CHILE: Activists Sound Alarm on Transantiago Plan
The Transantiago Plan, which is to take effect Feb. 10 in the Chilean capital, is in the sights of ecologists, who are demanding a clear commitment from government officials to the initiative.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Mining Companies Demand Legal Framework
Representatives from the mining industry in Honduras are calling for a new legal framework to guarantee greater investment in the sector to prevent collapse. But despite social pressures, the industry recorded rising profits in 2006.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Grumbling Over Rule on Batteries
An environmental norm that the Mexican government intends to approve for managing used battery waste has triggered the ire of environmental activists because the plan fails to include recycling.
Europe's Endangered Ski Resorts
An OECD report predicts that by 2050 most of the alpine glaciers will have disappeared, and along with them Europe's ski resorts, due to global warming.
Clean Water – Hold the Salt – in Brazil's Northeast
Brazil is using semi-permeable membranes to eliminate toxins from water in the impoverished northeast region. Promoters hope the technology will be ready for local manufacturing within a few years.Ecobreves – CUBA: Protecting Endemic Fish
Children from the Zapata marsh area, one of the Caribbean islands' most important wetlands, are part of a campaign to protect the manjuarí, a fish native to Cuba that is in danger of extinction. On Jun. 5 the children will release in their natural habitat fish they have raised in their schools.
Alarm Sounded for Patagonian Seas
A new report warns that excessive fishing threatens penguins and whales in the South Atlantic. But local experts disagree about the degree of danger for the marine ecosystem and its fauna.
Sanction Reopens Debate over Piracy in Chile
The United States has chastised Chile for failing to protect patents, especially for pharmaceuticals. The European Union also has its eye on the South American nation for possible violations.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Unlocking a Bacterial Genome
The genetic map of the Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus bacterium, an important nitrogen fixant for sugarcane, sweet potato and pineapple crops, was deciphered in Brazil, and its use in agriculture could generate significant environmental benefits.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Renewed Campaign Against Garbage Burning
The Citizen Anti-Incineration Coalition relaunched its campaign this month for Argentina to ban the polluting process of waste incineration.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Forest Fire Alert
Some 45 fires were reported in the first two weeks of 2007 in Montería, capital of the northwestern Colombian department of Córdoba, affecting pastures and brushland, Jorge Arbeláez, commander of the local fire department, told Tierramérica.« 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.
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