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Friday, October 9, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: To the Rescue of Stranded Marine Animals
Argentine environmental activists and officials have united to help marine animals that are in situations of risk along the coast of the province of Buenos Aires.
Giant Bacteria Colonize the Oceans
Marine biologists have discovered giant mats composed of megabacteria off the coast of South America, and suggest that they could serve vital ecological functions.
Tools Needed for Those Most Vulnerable to Climate Change
A global forum in Uruguay is evaluating the country's plans for dealing with the problems that arise from increasing variability and unpredictability of the climate, especially for poorer populations.
ENVIRONMENT: European Activists Against Economic Growth
The global environmental crisis requires replacing the existing capitalist model of production with one that promotes "selective degrowth" of the economy and the restricted and responsible exploitation of natural resources, according to European experts and activists.
CUBA: Quake Damage Begins at Home
With the wounds exposed by earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and other parts of the Americas, Cuba is beginning to focus on its own great challenge: adapting construction for housing that can withstand strong tremors.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Highway Avoids Native Species
The stretch of road intended to facilitate trade between Honduras and El Salvador is not expected to harm the endemic species the Honduran emerald hummingbird (Amazilia luciae) or the spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura melanosterna) as environmentalists had feared it would.Ecobreves – CUBA: Blue Scorpion Against Cancer
Cuban scientists have isolated three proteins from the poison of the Caribbean's blue scorpion (Rhopalurus junceus), which inhibit malignant cancer cells. The scientists say they are willing to work with other laboratories to expand the research.Ecobreves – CHILE: Preparing for Cochabamba Climate Summit
More than 100 people will be part of the Chilean delegation to the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, to take place Apr. 19-22 in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Plant Fiber Production Expands
The Brazilian Amazon region is beginning to reinstate itself in production of plant fibers, benefitting from campaigns against plastics.
European Activists Against Economic Growth
They are economists, sociologists, political scientists and environmentalists from Europe, and they're criticizing current efforts for "sustainable development." They are calling for renouncing "uncontrolled consumerism" and implementing policies for "degrowth."Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Readying for Reforestation
Venezuela's Environment Ministry announced that it will finalize resources for the Tree Mission, a reforestation program for river headwater areas begun in 2006, and now intended to recover national parks affected by the fires resulting from the drought that has lasted since 2009.
Bamboo Against Deforestation
As the farming frontier pushes into forests and threatens natural resources, in southern Paraguay an effort is under way to cultivate tacuara and other cane species in harmony with nature.
Quake Damage Begins at Home
There is little awareness about quake-related dangers for homes and other buildings in vulnerable zones like Cuba, say experts.
CARIBBEAN: Final Throes for Jamaica’s ‘Hippie Paradise’?
For centuries, Negril, a seven-mile stretch of white sand beach on the western tip of Jamaica, was cut off from the rest of the island by bad roads and a large swamp.
SOUTH AMERICA: Clear Water – Mercosur’s Underground Treasure
Invisible beneath a vast area of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the Guaraní Aquifer is one of the world's largest reserves of freshwater. Despite supplying water to millions of people, it is neither contaminated nor overexploited.
ENVIRONMENT: Forests at a Climate Crossroads
Billions of dollars are being mobilised to protect and increase the world's forests under a climate protection mechanism known as REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). But many experts are unsure that it will work, and some fear it could end in disaster.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Worm-Made Fertilizer Regenerates Soils
The use of organic fertilizer made by worms is on the rise in Mexico.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Threats Against Eco-Activists
Environmental and neighborhood groups in the eastern Argentine province of Santa Fe have reported threats that they believe are related to their fight against the spraying of dangerous agrochemicals near urban zones.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Macaúba Palm for Biodiesel
The macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata), an abundant palm native to Brazil, will be important raw material for biodiesel, according to Entaban Ecoenergetics of Brazil, a partnership of Spanish and Brazilian capital.Clear Waters Mercosur's Underground Treasure
The Guaraní Aquifer remains unpolluted and an essential reserve for an increasingly thirsty world, according to a detailed report from the four countries under which it lies.
Forests at the Climate Crossroads
The use of forests as a tool to fight climate change is facing more and more doubts.« 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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