Languages
Monday, November 9, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Ecobreves – BRAZIL: More Lightning Due to Global Warming
The frequency of lightning will increase 30 percent over the next 25 years in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, quadrupling the losses to electrical utility infrastructure because of more blackouts, according to the national space research institute, ELAT.Ecobreves – CUBA: Forest Fires and Drought
The intense drought that has been thrashing Cuba increased the risk of forest fire, which last year burned 11,447 hectares of forest, with losses totaling 16 million dollars.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Rescuing a Spectacled Bear in the Andes
A four-month-old spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatos) in the Sierra Nevada National Park, in the southwest Venezuelan Andes, was rescued earlier this month when a local resident found it and alerted the authorities.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Funds Approved for Eco-Projects
The Small Grants Program, a component of the Global Environment Facility, promoted by the United Nations, has approved for Honduras a total of 500,000 dollars to carry out 21 environmental and social development projects in poor communities.
Seal Hunt Extends to Ice Floes
Canada will continue the annual killing of thousands of seals beginning April 12 on ice floes off the Labrador Peninsula. Animal rights activists are calling for a boycott of Canadian seafood.Celebration for Cuba's Caibarién Coast
Children are working to clean up a bay in northern Cuba, and convincing residents to change their polluting habits. In May they will celebrate all that the ocean gives their community.Customs Operations Go Green
The United Nations is training police, attorneys and judges to halt global smuggling of dangerous substances and endangered species.Indians Negotiate Reparations for Damages Caused by Dam
Embera-Katío Indians have been in Bogotá since December protesting the impacts of the Urrá dam. Colombian officials hope to resolve the tensions this week.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Tara Expedition Returns from Antarctica
''I was so surprised to see so many boats, an average of one ever two days, and so many tourists'' in Antarctica, Celine Ferrier, captain of the Tara, told Tierramérica. The research sailboat arrived in Rio de Janeiro this weekend, three months after leaving from Chilean Port Williams.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: New Nature Park
Environmental groups applauded the declaration of a new national nature park in the southwestern Colombian jungle of Florencia, considered the ''last stand of biodiversity'' in that area.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Eco-Preserve in Danger
The Cuatrociénegas ecological preserve, in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila, runs the risk of disappearing, Valeria Souza, researcher with the Autonomous National University of Mexico's Ecology Institute, told Tierramérica.Ecobreves – PERU: Mining Companies in the Dock
Peruvian government prosecutor Martha Salinas announced on Mar. 28 the conclusion of an investigation into environmental infractions and crimes in the mining industry, and that presumed criminal liability had been found for 128 companies, including the two largest operating in the country: Mexico's Southern Peru, and the U.S.-based Doe Run.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Serious Losses of Maize
Ongoing drought has caused damage to some 24,500 hectares of maize crops in the northern Guatemalan department of Petén.The Foundations of Life Itself Are in Danger
Around 30 percent of all mammal, bird and amphibian species could disappear from the planet, reducing the quality of the important ''services'' provided by the world's ecosystems, says the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.Ecobreves – CUBA: Sewage Treatment for Beach
The Sibarimar Program, led by the Cuban non-governmental group Pronaturaleza, aims to eliminate dumping of wastewater along Guanabo Beach, the most visited beach in the east of the Cuban capital.Ecobreves – CHILE: Reforesting a Burnt Park
A month after the fire that destroyed 15,470 hectares of native forest in the Torres del Paine National Park, in the far south of Chile, efforts have begun to reforest the area with 'ñirres' (Nothofagus antarctica), 'lengas' (Nothofagus pumilio) and other native tree species.
Protecting Birds by Hunting Them with Binoculars
Hobbyists of all ages are working to identify birds in Latin America. Some 649 species could disappear from the region by 2020, say experts.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Technical Forum on Water Issues
The Venezuelan Environment Ministry and the non-governmental organization Vitalis have set up a technical forum to improve water management in the country's poor communities.Drought Takes Toll on Transgenic Soy
Genetically modified soybeans proved to be the weakest variety in withstanding drought in Brazil. In some areas, as much as 80 percent of the transgenic crop was lost.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Eco-Ed Campaign Launched
The National Association of Honduran Communication Media joined a campaign for education and prevention in response to the severe shortage of water in the two reservoirs that supply most of the water to the capital, where rationing is now in place.Environment-Themed World Expo a First for the Millennium
Beginning Mar. 25, pavilions will represent the messages of 122 countries at the World Expo in Japan as they laud ''Nature's Wisdom''.« 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.
From the Frontline of Environment
Supported by
Tierramérica en Español
Terramérica em Portuguese
