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Sunday, November 8, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Garbage Collectors Recycle Too
The Argentine capital inaugurated on May 2 its first recycling plant, for separating out recyclable materials, employing former informal garbage collectors in the city.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Expanded Market for Ecological Goods
Small producers in 17 associations from Colombia's Andean region will be able to market their ecological merchandise through a chain of supermarkets in the capital, thanks to an agreement established under the Ministry of Environment's National Plan for Green Markets.
Wave of Opposition Hits Hydroelectric Dams
Local residents are trying in several Latin American countries -- from the Papagayo River in Mexico to the Baker River in southern Chile -- to stop major hydroelectric projects.
Chernobyl's Elusive Bottom Line
No one knows exactly how many more people will die from the effects of the nuclear accident in Ukraine 20 years ago. Some say 4,000 more, but others argue the total could reach 100,000.Steelmaker's Departure Clouds Bilateral Relations
The withdrawal of the Brazilian company EBX from Bolivia means that thousands of hectares of forests are safe -- but bilateral relations have been hurt.Ecobreves – CHILE: New Law for Native Forests
The government of President Michelle Bachelet has taken up a proposal from environmental organizations for a law on native forests that frees up a legislative measure, paralyzed for the past 13 years, of a framework law for protecting Chile's rich autochthonous forest resourcesEcobreves – VENEZUELA: More Carbon Credits
The Andean development agency CAF, the financial arm of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), finalized an agreement with the Brazilian company Jalles Machado, which produces alcohol from sugarcane, for the purchase of 110,000 tons' worth of carbon credits, as established by international efforts to curb climate change.Ecobreves – CUBA: Fuel from Sugarcane Juice
Cuba has started manufacturing alcohol from sugarcane juice -- somewhat of a novelty for this island nation, which had focused on producing sugar from the juice, and only used the byproducts to make alcohol.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Soldiers Guard the Forests
For the past three months, some 2,000 soldiers from the Honduran army have been guarding the principal ecological preserve locations around the country to prevent illegal logging. They also have been dismantling illegal sawmills and starting a program of reforestation.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Protection for Flora and Fauna Names
In the next few days Brazil will be sending to foreign patent and trademark offices a list of the traditional names of Brazilian flora and fauna so that they cannot be registered as commercial trademarks.
When Science Inconveniences Bush
Scientists denounce what they see as obsessive attempts by the White House to muzzle them and to eliminate research that it doesn't like.
Proliferation of Motorcycles and Health Risks
In 2005, Brazil manufactured 1.2 million motorcycles. Many consumers prefer them because they are lightweight and fast, but the downside is that they pollute the air and cause thousands of injuries and deaths each year.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Activists Want to Make an Example of Monsanto
The environmental watchdog Greenpeace wants the Mexican government to apply sanctions against Monsanto, to make an example of the agribusiness transnational for planting genetically modified cotton without authorization.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Honey Instead of Coca
A Colombian government project to produce honey instead of planting coca bush in the northern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta yielded five tons of the sweet stuff in 2005 and is projected to produce 30 tons for export to Europe in 2006.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Nanotechnology for Agricultural Development
On Apr. 18, Brazil inaugurated the country's first laboratory for applying nanotechnology -- the science of manipulating particles measuring one-millionth of a millimeter -- to agricultural development.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: New Law on Biofuels
Argentina's Congress approved on Apr. 19 a new law on biofuels to promote the production and use of plant-origin alternatives to petroleum, through tax incentives and market quotas.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Inland Resort Threatened
The Guatemalan resort Semuc Champey, a hydric complex of ponds, waterfalls and the Cahabón River, is being hurt by deforestation, says the organization Trópico Verde.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Astronaut Awakens Interest in Science
Brazil's first astronaut, Marcos Pontes, returned to Earth after one week at the International Space Station as a new national hero. And his space journey awakened a new vocation in students at the Sao José dos Campos school, who particpated in two of the eight experiments Pontes conducted during the mission.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: The Triumphant Return of Sardines
The sardine returned to Venezuelan dinner tables at the beginning of Catholic Holy Week, when fish traditionally replaces meat, following the 21,000-ton catch along the northern coast.Ecobreves – CHILE: Skepticism Surrounds New Environment Ministry
Ecological groups have expressed skepticism about the creation of a Ministry of Environment by the new Chilean government of Michelle Bachelet, and doubt it represents a change in environmental policy.Ecobreves – CUBA: More Funds for Sabana-Camagüey Ecosystem
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved a budget of 4.1 billion dollars to continue a huge project to preserve the biodiversity of Cuba's north-central Sabana-Camagüey ecosystem, which stretches across five of the island nation's provinces.« 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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