Tierramerica
Sugarcane harvest to produce ethanol in the Bolivian department of Santa Cruz. Credit: Photo Stock

Q&A: Water Scarcity Threatens Half the Planet

By Julio Godoy
If the world's governments fail to reach an immediate agreement on how to manage water resources by 2030, half the planet's population will not have enough water to survive, scientist Jonathan Baillie told Tierramérica.
The Riachuelo in Buenos Aires. Credit: Malena Bystrowicz/IPS

ARGENTINA: Huge Loan to Flow into ‘Open Sewer’ River

By Marcela Valente
Local residents and environmentalists are eyeing with cautious optimism a major loan from the World Bank to the Argentine government to clean up the Matanza-Riachuelo river that runs through Buenos Aires - the country's most polluted waterway.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: World Bank Cancels Loan to Meat Processing Plant

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank, rescinded 45 million dollars of financing granted in 2007 to the Grupo Bertin, Brazil's largest beef processing plant.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Polluting Mining Company Finances Public Universities

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Foundation for the Defense of the Environment, in the central Argentine province of Córdoba, reported that a mining company whose vice-president has been indicted for polluting is handing out millions of dollars to public universities.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Recession Puts Bike Plan on the Skids

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The economic crisis has put the Mexico City government's plan to expand bicycle paths -- which now total 80 kilometers -- on hold. The expansion plan coasted to a halt in late 2007.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Nearly 4,000 Tons of Garbage Daily

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Honduras produces some 3,800 tons of garbage per day, which contributes to the reproduction of flies, mosquitoes and rats, which in turn transmit preventable diseases.
Hybrid buses at the 2005 International Expo in Aichi, Japan - Public Domain

Rare Metals Could Trigger Next Trade War

By Emilio Godoy, IPS, and - -
China beat the United States to the punch and has cornered production of rare metals used in environmentally friendly technologies that the world needs to curb climate-changing pollution.
The sugarcane harvest to produce ethanol in the Bolivian department of Santa Cruz - Photo Stock

Water Shortage Threatens Half the Planet

By Julio Godoy and - -
The paradox of development means that world population is consuming water to excess, while 2.8 billion people don't have nearly enough, says scientist Jonathan Baillie in this exclusive Tierramérica interview.
The Riachuelo in Buenos Aires - Malena Bystrowicz/IPS

Million-Dollar Loan Flows Into Argentine River

By Marcela Valente and - -
The largest loan for environmental clean-up granted to a Latin American country could serve as a test of Argentina's will to recover the toxic Matanza-Riachuelo watershed.

CFC gases

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A group of gases – part of the group called HFC gases – that have been used a lot industrially, for example in refrigerators or in firefighting appliances.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Endangered Parrot Population On the Rise

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The population of parrots, an endemic but endangered species, has increased in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara, thanks to a program where the community plays a key role.

CO2

By IPS Correspondents and - -
CO2 is a gas, also known as carbon dioxide, which is formed by the burning of organic materials such as coal, oil, gas and wood.

CO2 equivalents

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Different types of gases contribute to the greenhouse effect to a greater or lesser degree.

Extreme weather

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Extreme weather can include such things as unusually violent storms; heatwaves or droughts that are longer or hotter than normal, and exceptionally violent levels of precipitation.

Fossil fuels

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Energy sources formed in the earth’s crust from the remains (fossils) of plants and animals that lived on earth many millions of years ago.

Greenhouse effect

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The greenhouse effect is the name given to a process occurring naturally that insulates the earth against the loss of heat into space.

Nitrous oxide

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A gas with the chemical formula N2O.

Renewable energy

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Energy production based on sources of energy that do not run out, for example wind, water and solar power.
Fourth Assembly of Environmentally Affected, held in May in El Salto, Jalisco. - Courtesy of

Mexican Scientists and Communities Forge Eco-Alliances

By Verónica Díaz Favela, IPS, and - -
Two worlds join forces in Mexico -- academia and common folk -- to confront environmental problems.

Sunspots

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Areas on the surface of the sun, which in periods are a little colder than the rest of the surface and appear as dark spots.
The Biodiesel Program - Courtesy of the Municipality of Necochea

Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Engine

By Marcela Valente, IPS, and - -
The touristic city of Neochea, Argentina, is putting together a pioneering plan for the compulsory collection of used cooking oil from restaurants in order to produce biodiesel.
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