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Sunday, November 1, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Q&A: Desertification and Climate Change Go Hand in Hand
"The entire social fabric of an area is compromised when soils are depleted," says Italian expert Massimo Candelori, whose fight against desertification is increasingly linked to global efforts to combat climate change.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Biodiesel Sustainability Is in Doubt
Animal fat is the second leading raw material used in making biodiesel in Brazil, representing 14.62 percent of the total in July, following soybean oil (78.7 percent).Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Dolphin Census
With cameras in hand, youths from the environmental group Vida Marina (Marine Life) use boats to track the dolphins in the Caribbean off the coast of the Venezuelan state of Aragua. They are putting together a dolphin database.Ecobreves – CUBA: Cultivating Sea Sponges
The creation of farms to grow sea sponges is opening the way for an economic and environmental alternative in Carahatas, a fishing community of 800 people in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara.Ecobreves – CHILE: Studying Flora for Biofuels
The Chilean government's National Resources Information Center will analyze 30 plant species to determine which are most suitable for developing biofuels and their potential for cultivation in this country.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Betting on Renewable Energies
In the next two months Honduras is launching several renewable energy products that could save the country 87 million dollars and improve the operations of the government's national electrical energy agency.
Amazon Nuts at Exploitative Prices
The low pay for harvesting Brazil nuts in the Amazon has allowed Bolivia to become the world's leading exporter of this forest-grown food.
Desertification and Climate Change Go Hand in Hand
Precise indicators are needed to quantify desertification and its interactions with climate change, says expert Massimo Candelori in this exclusive Tierramérica interview.
ENVIRONMENT: Cuba Encourages Ecotourism in Largest Wetland
The Zapata wren (Ferminia cerverai) is known in Cuba as the "soprano of the forest" for its lovely song. But this tiny bird is very timid and, at the slightest sound, will hide in the vegetation in the Cienaga de Zapata - Zapata Swamp - 160 km south of Havana on the island’s south-central coast.
Underwater Museum to Protect Mexico's Coral Reefs
In the ocean depths off the coast of southeastern Mexico, galleries of human sculptures are to be installed as an artistic attraction with environmental ends.
Cuba Encourages Tourism in Its Largest Marsh
One of the most important wetlands of the Caribbean, Ciénaga de Zapata in Cuba, is throwing open the doors to tourists interested in nature.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Pure and Cheap Biokerosene
Biokerosene developed by the Brazilian University of Campinas as a means to reduce polluting emissions from the aviation industry is notable for its purity and low cost, says one of the scientists involved in producing it.Ecobreves – URUGUAY: Anti-Tobacco Fight Needs More Time
The strict measures against smoking that Uruguay implemented in March 2006 "are very good, but don't take into account the health consequences of those who have been smoking for 30 or 40 years."Ecobreves – MEXICO: Pacific Coast Threatened by Hurricanes
Deficient urban and coastal planning are contributing to heightened risk from hurricanes along Mexico's western seaboard on the Gulf of California, warns an environmentalist.
ENERGY: Trees: Out of the Forest and Into the Oven
Millions of trees, especially from the developing countries of the South, are being shipped to Europe and burned in giant furnaces to meet "green energy" requirements that are supposed to combat climate change.
Car Revolution in the Making
Brazil could take advantage of the electric car boom to build up the industry at home, given the threats of climate change and petroleum crisis - and the death foretold of the combustion engine.
Trees: Out of the Forest and Into the Oven
The boom in electricity production from biomass in the industrialized North is generating boom in demand for wood from natural forests or tree plantations - with environmental and social consequences.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Sewage Water Contaminates Crops
Sewage water can be used to boost agricultural yields, as Tierramérica has reported, but can also contaminate crops and soil with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: CFCs on the Decline
Since 2004, Venezuela has reduced consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by 90 percent, reports Osmer Castillo, president of the Industrial Reconversion Fund. These compounds, used in refrigeration, deplete the planet's ozone layer.Ecobreves – CUBA: Promoting Tourism in the Zapata Marsh
Cuba has decided to boost the tourism profile of the Zapata Marsh, the Caribbean's largest wetland, but is implementing a strategy to ensure the preservation of this rich ecosystem, located 156 kilometers southeast of Havana.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Endangered Species in Cloud Forest
Experts from the non-governmental Zamorano Biodiversity Center of Honduras have called on officials and community groups to preserve the cloud forest of the northern Yoro Mountain National Park.« 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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