Stories about Environment from May, 2011
“Shame for Brazil” Forest Defender Couple Murdered
Six months after he predicted his own murder in TEDx Amazônia, the environmentalist José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva was assassinated together with his wife in an ambush possibly articulated by loggers of the region. Bloggers mourn the loss on the eve of the approval of the new Forestry Code.
Haiti: A Different View of Cite Soleil
“We want to showcase local talents, and change the image of the youth in Cite Soleil. We want to get people planting again and eating Haitian food”: Throwing Down the Water profiles “a neighborhood committee called ‘La Difference’ [which] formed a movement to clean up their few blocks” and is...
Bahamas, Jamaica: Caribbean Climate Change
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe is “all for going green voluntarily…and in time”, while Labrish Jamaica warns: “There is no debate anymore about climate change. It is here. If sea level were to rise only 1 metre in the Caribbean, the impacts would be catastrophic.”
CEE Bankwatch Network campaign against EBRD practices
The CEE Bankwatch Network, an NGO monitoring activities of international financial institutions, has just released a video sharply criticizing the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's 20th anniversary of activities in former Soviet Bloc countries, and its intentions to extend to north Africa. “The EBRD has in fact a poor...
Nepal: So Rich And Yet So Poor
News Views And Reviews Of Nepal points out that although Nepal has a huge potential to generate hydropower up to 43,000 megawatts (MW), it is generating only 1.47% of its total capacity and further investments in this sector has stalled.
Puerto Rico: Video on the Gas Pipeline Route
Historian and blogger Ivonne Acosta posts the video of a reportage on the beautiful route [es] through which a proposed gas pipeline will run through. Environmentalists and community activists are opposing the state-sponsored project.
Peru: Growing Debate Regarding Genetically Modified Farming
The official signing of Decree 003, which permits the import of genetically modified seeds into the country, continues to generate debate between those in favor of the widespread use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and those who fear it would be harmful to the country's biodiversity and the health of its people.
China: A Murder and Protests in Inner Mongolia
C. Custer from China Geeks has written a very informative post about the recent protest sparkled off by a murder in Inner Mongolia.
Haiti: Vendors in Delmas
Throwing Down the Water reports on “the chaos” associated with clean-up efforts in Delmas, the capital's largest commune.
Cuba: Architectural Heritage
Fernando Dámaso at Translating Cuba, is concerned about the country's architectural patrimony.
Kenya: Taking care of orphaned monkey
Taking care of an orphaned monkey in Kenya : “We currently have a baby genet at the Colobus Trust which was found a few weeks ago being played with by a troop of vervet monkeys at the Diani Reef Hotel. The genet was weak and exhausted and showed signs of...
Brazil: New Forestry Code Approved in Chamber of Deputies
The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved the controversial new Forestry Code with 410 votes against 63 in an open session. As citizens knew each deputy's choice [pt], they used Twitter to regret the support for the ruralist project, as well as to mourn the murder of the forest defender Zé...
Chile: Should State TV Play Hidroaysen Ads?
Luis Cuello in El Quinto Poder, describes how [es] Television Nacional de Chile, the State's television channel, played the latest of ads by Hidroaisen campaign during the night news (prime time in Chile). He asks readers whether this is the right approach, considering that thousands have repeatedly protested in past weeks...
Brazil: Forest Defender Shot Dead
As the Brazilian Congress debates a new Forest Code, and as the Environment Ministry launches new raids on illegal deforestation in Brazil, forest defender José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva was shot dead [pt]. He had announced his life was under threat in the TEDxAmazonia conference, last November.
South Korea: Protecting World Heritage Site from Construction Work
Local residents and activists have strongly protested against the government's plan to construct a naval base on the Jeju island, one of the World Heritage sites. Twitterer Kim Se-ri, an assistant movie director, has been tweeting [ko] about the ongoing protest for over a month now.
Kenya: Paula Kahumbu to Speak About Social Media for Conservation
Renowned conservationist and 2009 PopTech Social Innovation Fellow Dr. Paula Kahumbu is scheduled to speak about social media and conservation at the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi on Wednesday, 25 May 2011, S. Maina reports.
China: Three Gorges Dam, A Time To Reflect
Through 17 years of construction until its completion in October 2008, China lauded the Three Gorges Dam as one of the engineering marvels of the world. At a State Council steering committee meeting on May 18, 2011, a statement was issued acknowledging serious flaws in the project.
El Salvador: Food Insecurity Rising in Rural Areas
The blog “Locavore del Mundo” [someone who eats locally grown foods around the world] discusses how rural Salvadorian families are struggling to secure food for themselves, not particularly because they lack access to nutritious food, but rather because they are having to sell it to cover expenses that once they did not...
Africa: Will Land Grab Help Africa?
Ken argues that the latest land grab in Africa might help the continent: “This latest land grab on the continent maybe the catalyst of an African green revolution. Most African governments gave up on non cash-crop agriculture in the 1970s. Some, like Nigeria, abandoned agriculture wholesale and quickly became a...
Brazil: Future of Forests at Stake
Across the past few weeks, the Brazilian National Congress has been abuzz with the pressure to vote on a new Forestry Code. The project based on proposed changes of the existing Code is backed by a coalition of Deputies of the so-called “Ruralist Front”. Environmentalists have mobilized against the new Code, and scientists demand more time to analyze the project.
