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Sunday, November 8, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Water Fund Created
Environmental, business, government and local entities have launched the Water Fund to improve the quality and quantity of freshwater in Guatemala.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Eco-Education Under Scrutiny
The southern Brazilian city of Joinville will host the 5th Ibero-American Congress on Environmental Education, Apr. 5-8. In Brazil, 96 percent of primary school students attend classes specializing in environmental education.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Promoting Natural Gas Vehicles
The private company Gas Natural S.A. announced investments of around 4.4 million dollars over three years to develop a conversion program so that vehicles in the Colombian capital and surrounding communities can run on natural gas.Ecobreves – CHILE: Fear of Growing Contraband Cigarette Market
Chile's new Anti-Tobacco Law, to take effect in June, could increase the black market for cigarettes in the areas surrounding primary and secondary schools, where shops will be prohibited from selling cigarettes, warn some lawmakers.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: People's Brigades Against Rain Disasters
The Venezuelan capital will have civilian protection brigades, made up of citizen groups, to prevent disasters resulting from heavy rains, such as mudslides and flooding, announced the municipality of Libertador, which covers two-thirds (west and central) of Caracas.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Samba for the Forests
Some 200,000 children ages seven to 13 will take part in the Samba for Life parade, organized by the environmental group Greenpeace alongside Brazilian institutions, during the 8th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP8).Ecobreves – CUBA: Journalists in the Time of Hurricanes
Ahead of hurricane season in June, an international seminar for journalists announced this week in Havana is an attempt to provide better tools for reporting on this kind of natural disaster.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: 33 Municipalities Leave Poverty Behind
- More than 1,730 families in 33 municipalities in the Honduran interior have overcome poverty in the past three years, thanks to a sustainable agriculture, sales and marketing program of the non-governmental development organization Oxfam International.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Forest Fires Destroy 563 Hectares
- Guatemalan officials are alarmed by the 96 forest fires that have consumed 563 hectares -- 211 in protected areas -- throughout the country so far this year.
Water in Public Hands Gaining Popularity
Government-led water management that is efficient and participatory can cut costs of the service by half, argue local authorities and water activists at the 4th World Water Forum, taking place in Mexico City, Mar. 16-22.
Who Has Access to Biodiversity?
Brazil, Mexico and Colombia are leading the push for an obligatory global regime governing the Earth's biological riches. A draft proposal is up for discussion this week at a meeting in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, but progress is expected to be limited.NGOs Warn About Genetic Contamination
The European Commission decided against separating genetically modified crops from conventionally grown crops. Ecologists say the move is a blow against the continent's farm sector.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Binational Bank Under Consideration
The Mexican and U.S. governments are assessing the viability of the North American Development Bank (NADB), the only binational instrument that finances basic infrastructure to improve the environment along the 3,200-km border between the two countries.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires Real Estate Project Under Fire
A neighborhood group in the Argentine capital is speaking out against the progress of a new government project to set aside the city's last free public lands for a real estate project.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: New Hunting Calendar
Guatemala's National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP) has published the country's hunting schedule, with lists of the species that can be hunted legally, which ones are prohibited, and the quota per hunter.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Network for Ecological Products
Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and peasant communities have joined together to create a Colombian network for environmentally friendly production, with the aim of producing native food and crafts to be sold locally as well as for export.
Water Transnationals Backing Off
Private investment in water management is on the decline in Latin America because of the high political and financial risks, say experts.
Private Role in the Amazon Triggers Doubts
Thirteen million hectares of tropical forest in Brazil will be concessioned to private firms, according to a new law. Analysts fear it could accelerate the destruction of the Amazon forest.
Refinery Moves Forward Despite Opposition
In spite of skepticism among some experts, Mexico is pushing the Mesoamerican refinery, the star of a sustainable energy integration plan with Central America and Colombia.
Chilean Astronaut Awaits His Turn: María Cecilia Espinosa
Klaus Von Storch's space mission has been postponed since 2003, but the Chilean astronaut is confident that he'll soon be following the same path as his Brazilian colleague Marcos Pontes, who will be heading to outer space at the end of the month.Europe's Longest Green Corridor in Danger
Intensive agriculture threatens the green corridor along the former inter-German border, nearly 1,400 kilometers long.« 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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