Tierramerica

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: San Pedro Sula Wants to Sell Carbon Bonds

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The local government of San Pedro Sula, 250 kilometers from the Honduran capital, plans to sell carbon credits to finance the preservation of El Merendón mountain, considered the “green lung” of the city.
The government is not funding a single clean energy project, says environmentalist Sara Larraín. - Martín Katz - Courtesy of Programa Chile Sustentable

“The Battle for Patagonia Has Just Begun"

By IPS Correspondents and - -
HidroAysén will create an energy duopoly that cuts off access to the market for other actors who want to participate with clean energy sources, says environmentalist Sara Larraín in this interview.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Sugar Cane Straw Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Researchers at São Paulo State University in Brazil have determined that leaving sugar cane straw in the soil after harvesting reduces carbon emissions. They reached this conclusion after having compared two methods of harvesting sugar cane: mechanized harvesting and manual harvesting after the straw has been burned off the sugar cane plants.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Exotic Weed Used to Produce Charcoal for Export

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The exotic plant known in Cuba as marabu (Dichrostachys cinerea), formerly considered a pesky weed, is now being used to produce charcoal, and there are plans to increase production to 40,000 tons for export to Europe this year, official sources told Tierramérica.
A private company wants to install a liquid petroleum gas storage plant in the Punta de Manabique reserve on Guatemala

Guatemalan Beaches Threatened by Iron and Gas Operations

By Danilo Valladares
"If they come here to extract iron from the beach, it will mean the destruction of our natural wealth and the end of tourism," warned Leonel Palma, a hotel employee in Puerto de San José on Guatemala’s Pacific coast, where the government has granted mineral exploration licenses.
A solitary cow in a slash-and-burn clearing where there was once Amazon rainforest. Credit: Mario Osava/IPS

BRAZIL: New Forest Code Could Hinder Climate Goals

By Clarinha Glock
The adoption of a new Forest Code in Brazil could threaten efforts to curb Amazon deforestation, which was reduced 70 percent between 2004 and 2010.
A solitary cow in a slash-and-burn clearing where there was once Amazon rainforest. - Mario Osava/IPS

New Forest Code Could Hinder Climate Goals

By Clarinha Glock and - -
Proposed amendments to the Brazilian Forest Code raise new alarm over Amazon deforestation.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Nuclear Accident Action Plan Proposed

By IPS Correspondents and - -
An environmental organization in Argentina has proposed a citizen action plan in the event of a nuclear accident for use in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Nanotechnology Turns to Sugar Cane

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The University of São Paulo Polytechnic School has developed a new technique to produce carbon nanotubes, microscopically thin cylinders of carbon atoms, using the gases generated by burning sugar cane bagasse, a by-product of sugar production.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Clean-up of Yojoa Lake Begins

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Over the past month, more than 33,000 square meters of parasitic plants have been removed from the waters of idyllic Yojoa Lake in western Honduras.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Cleaner Buses Take to the Streets

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Public transportation contractors are introducing environmentally friendly buses in the eastern section of Mexico City.
López Peña sugar mill in the town of Baguanos, Holguín, Cuba. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS

A Sugar Boost for the Cuban Economy

By Patricia Grogg
Cuba hopes to revive its sugar industry as part of the recently announced economic changes and take advantage of good international prices for what was once the Caribbean island’s main export.
Women protesting against Veracel

BRAZIL: Accusations Mount against Pulp and Paper Giant

By Fabiana Frayssinet
Brazilian and international environmental organisations and peasant farmer movements are taking aim at the forestry industry once again, this time accusing transnational corporation Stora Enso of illegally profiting from the production of wood pulp in the state of Bahia.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Authorities Crack Down on Illegal Activities in Amazon

By IPS Correspondents and - -
An operation carried out by the Brazilian national environmental authority, IBAMA, in the Amazon region has led to the seizure of 19,000 hectares of illegally deforested land and the confiscation of 5,400 head of cattle and close to 51 million dollars.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Eco-Materials Help Improve Housing Conditions

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Thanks to dozens of workshops now producing eco-friendly building materials in Cuba, the housing and living conditions of 3,383 families have been improved in the last year alone, according to academic sources.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Rescuing the Remains of the Caparo Forest

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The University of the Andes in Venezuela is calling for urgent action to salvage the remains of the Caparo Forest, located in the southwestern lowlands and fed by tributaries of the Orinoco River, which has suffered from uncontrolled logging since the late 20th century.
Women protesting against Veracel’s eucalyptus plantation and pulp mill operations. - Courtesy of CEPEDES

Accusations Mount Against Pulp and Paper Giant

By Fabiana Frayssinet and - -
Civil society protests and legal actions continue to fire controversy over the impacts of the wood pulp industry in the Brazilian state of Bahia.
Rainforest in the state of Chiapas. Credit: Mauricio Ramos/IPS

Mexico’s Use of “Green” Financing Questioned

By Emilio Godoy
While Mexico played host to a meeting for the creation of a Green Climate Fund, doubts have been raised over whether the millions of dollars in financing the country has already received in recent years have been effectively implemented to combat global warming and its consequences.
Soybean pod damaged by insects. Credit: Maggilautaro – Creative Commons Licence

ENVIRONMENT: Endosulfan Ban Highlights Need for Alternatives

By Marcela Valente
The upsurge in the use of the toxic pesticide endosulfan, targeted for prohibition by the international community, illustrates one of the dilemmas of intensive agriculture in Argentina and Latin America in general.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Agrotoxics Used to Save Biodiversity

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Environmental organisations have turned to an old enemy, toxic agrochemicals, as an extreme measure to combat invasive plant species that are threatening native flora in conservation areas.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Forest Management Demanded to Prevent Fires

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A non-governmental organisation is urging the Mexican government to promote sustainable forest management as a means of preventing serious forest fires.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*