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Saturday, November 7, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
LATIN AMERICA: Changes in Land Use, Changes in Climate
The countries of Latin America have failed to design integrated policies to control the processes of changes in land use, one of the causes of climate change. The region produces 12 percent of the world's emissions of greenhouse gases, which are driving up the planet’s average temperatures and changing the climate around the globe.
Personal Crusades for Nature
Environmental misfortune moved these four people so much that they embraced protection of the natural world as their own personal crusades. Tierramérica shares their stories.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Christmas Trees and Plagues from the North
With Christmas trees imported from Canada and Mexico, pests are arriving in Mexico, but the authorities are doing little or nothing about it, complain Mexican forestry producers.
Changes in Land Use, Changes in Climate
The International Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems, launched in Mexico, will propose radical changes in the way we place value on natural resources, say its promoters.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Jaguars Victims of Ranchers
One of the main causes of the decline of the jaguar population in Argentina is hunting -- reprisal for the big cats' attacks on livestock --, according to the report "Identification of Jaguar-Human Conflicts in Northern Salta, Argentina," published this month by the Red Yaguareté (Jaguar Network).Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Mining Companies Putting On the Pressure — Again
The mining industry in Honduras has once again demanded that the government approve a legal framework for the sector, citing financial losses and reduction of jobs resulting from a lack of investment.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Irrigation Project Wins International Prize
The Pintadas Solar project, which foments farming on small family-owned plots, has won the Seed Award, granted by the United Nations and the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
ARGENTINA: Frustration Over Veto of Glacier Protection Law
The decision by the administration of Cristina Fernández to veto a law to protect Argentina's glaciers - important reserves of freshwater - has caused deep concern among scientists and environmentalists who participated in writing the legislation.
BRAZIL: Using Science and Thinking Small to Relaunch Biofuels
Clean and renewable energy sources are the new "El Dorado" in these times of economic crisis and global warming. While most people, it seems, want to have a car, travel and consume endlessly, the planet is giving us signs that it can no longer withstand a production model based on fossil fuels.Ecobreves – CUBA: Poor Waste Management Worsens Hurricane Impacts
An evaluation of the impact of hurricanes in Cuba has revealed that disaster risk increases because of factors like construction along the coastline, poor waste management and cutting down mangrove forests.Ecobreves – CHILE: Demands to Legalize Mapuche Health System
The Network of Mapuche Health Organizations, made up of nine entities from Chile's most numerous indigenous group, is drafting a proposal so that their health system will be recognized by Chilean law.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Hunting Pushes Bird to Extinction
The scarlet finch, also known as the red siskin (Carduelis cucullata), a small bird native to northern Venezuela, is on the verge of disappearing and is rarely seen in the wild because poachers capture these birds to cross them with canaries in order to produce red offspring.
Using Science and Thinking Small to Relaunch Biofuels
Innovation aimed at promoting small-scale crop-based energy and research intended to speed up production of the second generation of biofuels are Brazil's central tactics to revive what has been waning international enthusiasm for ethanol and biofuel.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Award Goes to Bio-Method for Environmental Clean-up
The Santander Science and Innovation Prize was awarded this month in Brazil to a biological method for cleaning up areas contaminated by metals, developed by the University of São Paulo.
Frustration Over Veto to Protect Argentina's Glaciers
The Argentine government's total veto of a law aimed at protecting protect the country's glaciers has frustrated the scientists who helped draft the policy.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Hearings on Forestry Law
The governmental Forest Conservation Institute (ICF) of Honduras announced the beginning of hearings about integrating communities in the protection and conservation of forests.
HONDURAS: Inventory of Mitch’s Cultural Destruction
When Hurricane Mitch thrashed Honduras and a large portion of Central America in 1998, the scale of the disaster clouded awareness that the winds and rains had also taken a heavy toll on cultural, artistic and historic heritage.
CLIMATE CHANGE: Hot Days and Nights in Mexico 2090
Climate change will dramatically increase the number of hot, dry days in Mexico in the coming decades, while coastal regions like the Yucatán, in the southeast, will be swamped by sea levels that are half a metre higher than today, a new study has found.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Decree Authorizes Destruction of Caves
A presidential decree in Brazil published Nov. 10 authorizes the destruction of caves. This country has 4,629 identified caves -- a total which grows 300 each year. Only the caves considered important will be protected.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Observatory of Cosmic Rays
Ten years after laying its cornerstone, the Pierre Auger Observatory, in Argentina, the only one in the southern hemisphere for studying cosmic rays hitting the Earth's atmosphere, will open its doors this month.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Researching a Male Contraceptive
Mexican researchers are developing a pharmaceutical that could be used as a male contraceptive, and which also promises to be an effective method to control populations of rats, dogs and cats.« 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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