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Tuesday, July 7, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Good Omens for Climate Pact in Durban 2011
The fact that an international climate deal is possible at next year's climate summit in Durban, South Africa is a good omen for the future of our planet, writes South African Kumi Naidoo, head of Greenpeace International.
CLIMATE CHANGE: As Andean Glaciers Recede, Region Steps Forward to Adapt
The mountainous areas of South America's Andean nations supply water to the coastal cities, provide habitat to important biodiversity, and serve as natural barriers, but global warming threatens those regions, which are home to millions of people.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Biological Center to Reduce Agro-Toxins
The Honduran Agricultural Research Foundation will establish a center for the production of biological agents to protect crops, as a way to replace the use of agro-chemicals.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Natural Area Once Again Protected
The Senate in the northern Argentine province of Salta has approved a law to create a national reserve in a provincial protected area -- whose protection was removed in 2004.
Climate Summit Ends Without Solving Emissions Puzzle
Despite scientific evidence and continued weather disasters across the globe, climate change continues to be relegated to second tier among national and international priorities.
As Andean Glaciers Recede, Region Steps Forward to Adapt
The Andean glaciers are suffering the effects of global warming, with far-reaching effects on water supplies, biodiversity and livelihoods.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Forests Improve Coffee Crops
Cultivating coffee near intact forests increases yields by up to 20 percent, according to a study by the Brazilian agricultural research agency EMBRAPA, whose aim was to evaluate the capital accumulated in services provided by native vegetation.
CLIMATE CHANGE: Summit Ends Without Solving Emissions Puzzle
"We are the coldest country in the world... so global warming is good for us. The warmer it is, the bigger the harvests... They talk about stopping deforestation of the tropical jungles to fight climate change, but we don't have tropical jungles."
Latin America Puts Bamboo’s Climate Virtues to the Test
While a global agreement to fight the climate crisis may be off the table for now, many activists and experts are focusing on options for mitigating climate-changing gas emissions and the impacts of increasingly extreme weather. One such alternative is bamboo.
CLIMATE CHANGE: Cancun Summit Gives Fossil Fuels a Free Pass
The main cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels, so why are billions of dollars being invested to find and produce more oil, coal and natural gas?
Cancún Summit Gives Fossil Fuels a Free Pass
At the global summit on climate change, no country is being challenged for its plans to expand fossil fuel production, despite being the main source of climate-changing gas emissions.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Food Industry Can Utilize Its Own Waste
Waste from the food industry could be utilized in its same productive process -- this is the surprising conclusion of a study by Brazil's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo.Ecobreves – CHILE: Last of the Huemul Deer in Danger
The construction of the Punilla hydroelectric dam in the Chilean region of Biobío poses a threat to some 40 huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), a type of deer living in that area of central Chile, warn local and foreign environmental groups.Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Chevron Finances Indigenous Artisanry
The Tierra Viva Foundation launched an artisan training program, financed by the oil giant Chevron, for indigenous Warao communities living in the Orinoco River delta, in the far east of Venezuela.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: A Push for Sustainable Rural Enterprise
Four provinces in Honduras will begin sustainable development efforts in 2011 for small rural agricultural businesses, financed by 32 million dollars from the Inter-American Development Bank.
PERU: Mineral-Rich Highlands Lack Legal Protection
More than 11 percent of Peruvian territory is distributed among mining concessions. Those mining blocks can include moors, river sources, and even protected natural areas.
Peru's Highlands Lack Legal Protection
Land-use regulations could put a halt to mining concessions in areas of Peru with high ecological value, like the highland plateaus of the north.Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Soy Biodiesel Produces Genetic Mutations
Contact with biodiesel, seen as an alternative fuel that is less harmful than fossil fuels, could be causing genetic mutations, concludes a doctoral thesis study by Daniela Morais Leme, at Brazil's State University of São Paulo.Ecobreves – MEXICO: Forest Communities Demand Effective Management
The indigenous communities that inhabit Mexico's forests should participate in all forest-use policies, according to a civil society campaign launched on Nov. 23.Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Company Fined for Environmental Damages
The thermal energy company San Lorenzo Light and Power (Lufussa), which operates in the southern Honduran city of the same name, will have to pay 32,000 dollars in fines for the damages resulting from a fuel spill in July 2009.Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Another Setback for Law on E-Waste
The vote on a legislative bill about electronic-waste management, already with three years in the Senate, faced new objections and may not be passed until 2011.« 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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