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Tuesday, November 10, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Ecobreves – URUGUAY: Observatory for Renewable Energy Proposed
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is planning to open a regional observatory in the Uruguayan capital to promote renewable energy.
Eco-Friendly Computers Still But a Dream
In Italy, only 15 percent of electronic waste is recycled. The country is not yet prepared to comply with the European Union's regulations in this area.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Lake Amatitlán Clean-Up Continues
Guatemalan environmental authorities will complete construction in November of the second water purification plant on the Villalobos River, which carries some 500,000 tons of sediment to Lake Amatitlán, 35 km south of the capital.
Forest Controversy Simmers On
An international consultancy became involved in the implementation of Colombia's new forestry law, and unleashed a flood of criticismEcobreves – HONDURAS: Protection Sought for Eco-Bishop
The Honduran national human rights commissioner, Ramón Custodio, has called on the authorities to provide protection for Catholic bishop Luis Alfonso Santos, in the western city of Copán, who has received death threats for his opposition to an open-pit mine in the area.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Conservation Planned for Yojoa Lake
The Honduran government has launched a three-year program to preserve the biodiversity of the northern lake of Yojoa -- the country's largest.Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Geothermal Wells Being Drilled in Protected Area
A Guatemalan company is drilling three geothermal wells in a protected reserve at the Pacaya Volcano, some 40 kilometers south of the capital, without authorization from the local municipality.Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Tornado Destroys Thousands of Homes
After the tornado swept through the northern Colombian city of Barranquilla on Sep. 15 -- affecting some 1,200 families -- 61,250 sheets of asbestos will be needed to rebuild houses, local infrastructure secretary Nyry Logreira told Tierramérica.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Flood Insurance Measured
Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo have developed a method to estimate insurance costs for urban flooding, saying claims could eat up as much as 12 percent of the gross domestic product.
Fossils Reveal Ancient Biodiversity
A fascinating amber deposit in Peru containing fossilized flies, wasps and spiders proves that the rich diversity of Amazon species dates back much further than previously thought. Tierramérica spoke with the international team that made the discovery.
Scientists Set Sights on 'Green' Chemistry
New technologies are being employed to curb the use of toxic materials in productive processes and prevent tragic accidents that can potentially claim the lives of thousands of people.
Canada Faces Pressure to Promote Sustainable Mining
Activists have demanded that the Stephen Harper administration impose mandatory social and environmental standards on Canadian mining companies operating in Latin America.Ecobreves – MEXICO:: Proposed Nuclear Plants Under Fire
The Mexican government’s announcement of its plan to build one or two nuclear power plants has environmentalists opposed to atomic energy up in arms.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Scavengers Export Scrap
By the end of the month, the Argentine ecological cooperative Reciclando Sueños (Recycling Dreams) will have sent another two shipments to Spain, each containing 25,000 kilograms of scrap iron.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Aluminum Can Recycling Record Remains Firm
In 2005 Brazil recycled 96.2 percent of its used aluminum cans, making it the world's leader in this activity for the fifth year in a row, according to the Brazilian Aluminium Association (ABAL).Ecobreves – CUBA: Eco-Gardens Outside Your Door
Several vacant lots in central and heavily populated areas of 14 of Havana's 15 municipalities have been refurbished for "organoponic" gardening as part of an urban agriculture program for 2006 in the Cuban capital.Ecobreves – ITALY: Ant Farming Is Good Business
In the northern Italian hills of Ascoli, beekeeper Emidio Ferreti is raising ants to sell them at market. The ants are used for fighting other crop-destroying insects, pollinating olive trees, and even for filming movie scenes.
60 Years to Restore the Ozone Layer Over Antarctica
The ozone layer is recovering almost everywhere, but over Antarctica the process will take until 2065. "We cannot take the ozone layer for granted," says the director of UNEP, the global environmental authority.
Biofuel Boom Sparks Environmental Fears
Many countries in Latin America seek to emulate Brazil's use of ethanol and biodiesel. But environmentalists warn that intense deforestation is often the result of the expansion of these otherwise more eco-friendly fuels.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Pesky El Niño Returns
The cyclical climate phenomenon known as El Niño will return at the end of theyear, but will lack the strong intensity if had in 1997-1998, when it triggered droughts and devastating fires in Brazil, say meteorologists here.
Ecobreves – URUGUAY: The Return of the Aguará-Guazú
The reappearance in Uruguay of an "aguará-guazú", or maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), the first one sighted here in 16 years, could help finance a study of this canid species.« 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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