Tierramerica

Ecobreves – EL SALVADOR: Water Festival

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The public will join activists, authorities and business leaders in celebrating at the Festival of Water, Mar 17-23, in El Salvador, where they will also have the chance to express their concerns about this vital resource.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Food for Garbage

By IPS Correspondents and - -
- The "Garbage is not garbage" campaign for the collection and recycling of waste in exchange for food vouchers reaches the one-year mark this month, a success in this northwestern Venezuelan city.
There are some 500 banana varieties in the world, but the most exported is the Cavendish. - Mauricio Ramos.

Transgenics will not save the banana”

By Julio Godoy and - -
In the wake of the storm caused by an article in New Scientist magazine, which predicts the disappearance within 10 years of a leading variety of the banana, the international organization tracking this fruit clarifies its stance in an exclusive dialogue with Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Business under Control

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Guatemalan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will enact a regulation requiring environmental impact studies prior to construction of factories or other productive installations.
The border river Usumacinta. - Mauricio Ramos

Specter of Usumacinta Dam Lingers

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The hydroelectric dam mega-project on the river dividing Mexico and Guatemala is keeping environmental groups on edge, despite reassurances from authorities that it has been canceled.
- Cenini/FAO

Bananas and Plantains

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Bananas and plantains are fruits thousands of years old that have become an important food for humans. The banana trade is a dynamic market and has led to scientific delving into its genetics and its possibilities for ecological production.

Ecobreves – GLOBAL: Transgenic Soy Depresses Prices

By IPS Correspondents and - -
International soy prices fell 67 percent since the biotech giant Monsanto began commercial production of genetically modified seeds seven years ago, says Peter Rosset, co-director of the U.S.-based Food First and participant in the World Social Forum here last week.

Ecobreves – CUBA: More Organic Coffee

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Cuba hopes to achieve annual organic coffee yields of 800 tons within a few years in the eastern region of Guantánamo, the product of agro-chemical-free growing techniques and in high demand in Europe.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Strike Heightens Threat of Oil Spills

By IPS Correspondents and - -
An environmental organization is blaming the strike leaders of the state-run Petróleos de Venezuela for the oil spills occurred since Dec 2, when the massive work stoppage began in protest against President Hugo Chávez

Ecobreves – AMERICAS: Conference to Discuss Environmental Impact of Trade

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Experts from a number of countries of the Americas will meet in Mexico Mar. 25-26 to discuss the impact of trade on the environment and on the quality of life of indigenous communities.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Complete Database on Native Bird Species

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A government initiative in Colombia that has the support of international institutions aims to set up a complete database of Colombian bird species that are held in ornithological collections around the world, in order to contribute to environmental controls and conservation programmes.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA:: Native Forests Shrinking

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Argentina has 33 million hectares of native forests, just one-third of the total registered less than a century ago, according to a study by the Secretariat of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Ecobreves – PERU: Authorities May Shut down US Factories

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Municipal authorities in Lima are studying the possible closure and transfer of two U.S. companies located in the Villa Swamps, a protected area on the south side of the capital, after deciding this month to close down a Chilean pasta plant, Lucchetti.
-

Unprotected Nature Reserves

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Mesoamerica has a total of 597 nature reserves, with stunning tropical landscapes. But is that enough to protect the subregion’s biodiversity in the long-term?
-

Environmentalists Complain that Coca Cola is Hogging Water

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The El Salvador subsidiary of Coca Cola is accused of hogging scarce water resources in a region where the rivers that have not dried up or totally disappeared under urban areas are polluted. But the soft drink company maintains that it lives up to international environmental standards.
-

Forests and Deforestation

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Forests cover 3.87 billion hectares of the earth’s surface, according to the latest report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on the State of the World’s Forests

Ecobreves – GLOBAL: WSF to Debate Sustainable Development

By IPS Correspondents and - -
- Sustainable development is among the thematic pillars of the World Social Forum III, which is expected to draw 100,000 people from more than 100 countries to the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, Jan 23-28.

The Information Society

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) gets underway on Dec. 10 in Geneva. Eight thousand people are expected to take part in deliberations on how to bridge the digital divide and reduce the imbalance in knowledge -- which are seen as the main obstacles on the road to sustainable development in the new economy.
-

Marijuana's Virtues Cast in Doubt

By Gustavo González and - -
“Weed” might relieve pain, control nausea and reduce stress, but in Latin America, only a handful of scientists and politicians advocate legalising marijuana for medical use.
Orlando Lubbert -

“Electric taxis for everyone”

By Gustavo González and - -
Filmmakers should touch on issues that are transcendant for society, such as environmental problems, suggests Chilean director Orlando Lübbert, whose award-winning film includes a taxi as one of its stars. "All automobiles pollute," he warns.

The Offensive of the Empire

By Joao Pedro Stedile and - -
The leader of Brazil's landless movement, known by its initials MST, offers his views of the World Social Forum, which gets under way this week in Porto Alegre.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*