International: South America

More in International: South America

Amazon state that will host COP30 strikes largest carbon credit sale in history

9 Oct 2024

A coalition of developed countries and corporations has agreed to a massive purchase of carbon credits from the Amazon rainforest worth $180 million.

Drought is making Sao Paulo’s river emerald green while smoke turns its skies grey

19 Sep 2024

A major river in the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo is suddenly emerald green and clear skies this week turned from blue to grey.

Nearly 40% of Amazon rainforest most vital to climate left unprotected, data shows

17 Sep 2024

Scientists agree that preserving the Amazon rainforest is vital to combating global warming, but new data indicates huge swathes of the jungle that are most vital to the world's climate remain unprotected.

Brazil’s Carvalho to lead seabed-mining authority following predecessor’s controversial term

7 Aug 2024

Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho has been named the next secretary-general of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) after winning an election that could change the course of the deep-sea mining industry.

Brazil minister warns carbon credit buyers to beware fraud

6 Aug 2024

Environment minister Marina Silva says alleged criminal schemes in Amazon could harm the reputation of credits.

Large birds can boost forest carbon storage — if deforestation doesn’t interfere

18 Jun 2024

A new study shows large fruit-eating birds in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest can contribute to a 38% increase in carbon storage by regenerating tropical forest.

New bill to expand farmlands in the Amazon may derail Brazil’s green efforts

11 Jun 2024

A bill that would reduce the amount of primary forest that landowners in the Brazilian Amazon must preserve may lead to the deforestation of an area twice the size of Rio de Janeiro state.

More than third of Amazon rainforest struggling to recover from drought, study finds

22 May 2024

More than a third of the Amazon rainforest is struggling to recover from drought, according to a new study that warns of a “critical slowing down” of this globally important ecosystem.

Despite drought, Amazon deforestation alerts hit five-year low

13 May 2024

The Brazilian Amazon experienced a 47% decrease in deforestation in April compared to last year, marking the lowest level in five years, and a 51% decrease over the past 12 months.

Forest carbon accounting lets Guyana remain net zero with oil pumping

9 Apr 2024

Experts said UN rules around forest and oil are open to abuse, so that countries like Guyana can claim net zero without cutting emissions.

Reforestation and restoration: Two ways to make the Pan Amazon greener

19 Mar 2024

One of the benefits of agroforestry and plantation forestry is the ability of tree crops to capture and store carbon in their above-ground biomass.

How a Colombian city cooled dramatically in just three years

8 Mar 2024

With “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, the Colombian city is driving down temperatures — and could become five degrees cooler over the next few decades.

Colombian community displaced by coastal erosion takes case to human rights commission

4 Mar 2024

A Colombian community under threat from coastal erosion will have their case heard by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Locals at the mouth of the Amazon River get a salty taste of climate change

28 Feb 2024

Ocean rise and changes in the Amazon River are ruining the way of life in an archipelago close to where the Amazon River runs into the Atlantic.

Critics decry controversial bill that loosens deforestation restrictions in Peru

12 Feb 2024

Peru’s Congress approved a new amendment to the country’s forest and wildlife law, which loosens restrictions on deforestation and may affect the rights of Indigenous peoples.

Meet the young Peruvians fighting in court for climate action

5 Feb 2024

Seven youth plaintiffs, ages ranging from 14 to 16, argue that the state is violating their right to a healthy environment by failing to curb Amazon deforestation and mitigate climate change.

Suriname preparing to clear Amazon for agriculture, documents suggest

19 Dec 2023

The government is weighing a series of land deals that would allow the Ministry of Agriculture and a group of private entities to carry out agriculture, livestock and aquaculture activities in the Amazon Rainforest.

Climate change destroys coastal Mexican town

19 Dec 2023

Flooding, driven by rapid sea-level rise and increasingly brutal winter storms, has all but destroyed El Bosque, leaving twisted piles of concrete where houses used to line the sand.

Record drought hitting Panama Canal may ruin your kids’ Christmas

12 Dec 2023

The impact of a record-breaking drought in Panama has spread beyond energy supplies and is now affecting container shipping, a crucial sector of the global freight market.

Brazil to propose mega fund to conserve forests at COP28 climate summit

27 Nov 2023

Brazil plans to propose a “huge” fund to pay for the conservation of tropical forests at the United Nations COP28 climate change summit, the country’s top climate negotiator said.

The Galapagos are going green

23 Nov 2023

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to transform the archipelago into a beacon of sustainability.

Does the Amazon’s drought mean the forest is at a tipping point?

22 Nov 2023

Scientists say deforestation is compounding the effects of climate change, threatening to turn parts of the forest into savannah.

Oil companies attending climate talks have minimal green energy transition plans, analysis finds

14 Nov 2023

In 2022, a Brazilian oil and gas company had 68 places staked out for oil exploration off the South American coast, searching for new reserves while spending $6.9 billion in oil development projects.

Bolivia forest fires shutter thousands of schools

30 Oct 2023

Tens of thousands of Bolivian pupils had their classes suspended as schools closed their doors due to air pollution caused by massive forest fires, the education minister.

Amazon rainforest at risk of a large-scale dieback

6 Oct 2023

The impacts of global warming, deforestation and intensified land use are pushing the South American monsoon towards a critical destabilisation point.

South America swelters in unseasonal spring heatwave

2 Oct 2023

As the Northern Hemisphere emerges from the hottest summer on record, South America has taken up the planet’s extreme-heat mantle.

Brazil to revise climate targets to cut emissions 53% by 2030

21 Sep 2023

Brazil is expected to announce revised climate targets this week, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva strengthens a prior pledge made by his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula scraps Bolsonaro’s cuts to Brazilian climate target ambition

19 Sep 2023

The Brazilian government has agreed to cancel former president Jair Bolsonaro’s cuts to its climate ambition and to work on a new improved climate target.

Extratropical cyclone kills at least 21 people in Brazil

8 Sep 2023

The extreme weather in the south of the country has displaced more than 3,700 people with more flooding anticipated.

Ecuador rejects oil drilling in Amazon protected area in historic vote

23 Aug 2023

Nearly 60% of voters back a push to halt to drilling in Yasuni National Park, a victory for environmental groups.

Brazil govt finalises proposal for cap-and-trade carbon market

21 Aug 2023

Brazil has finalised a proposal for the establishment of a cap-and-trade carbon market in a move to curb greenhouse gas emissions and help the administration reach its emissions reduction targets.

Carbon credits - land grab or the Amazon’s future?

11 Aug 2023

The Brazilian city of Belém is hosting the Amazon Summit, which brings together the eight South American countries who share a slice of the Amazon.

Lake Titicaca drying up as heat wave turns winter upside down

10 Aug 2023

The parched shoreline and shrinking depths of Lake Titicaca are prompting growing alarm that an ago-old way of life around South America's largest lake is slipping away as a brutal heat wave wreaks havoc during winter.

Brazil hosting Amazon summit: What you need to know

8 Aug 2023

Leaders are gathering in Brazil to discuss ways to protect critical rainforest after years of deforestation and threats.

Winter heat wave in Chile offers 'window' to warmer world

8 Aug 2023

A winter heat wave bringing historically high temperatures to Chile is a "window" to an increasingly warm future, according to scientists.

Climate change is pushing young people in Honduras to leave farming and migrate

27 Jul 2023

Drought and erratic rainfall in Honduras is undermining agriculture and pushing young people to migrate in search of a more secure future.

South America will pledge to end Amazon deforestation by 2030

21 Jul 2023

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s ambitious pledge to end illegal deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by 2030 is going regional.

Drought leaves millions in Uruguay without tap water fit for drinking

18 Jul 2023

After years of underinvestment, reservoir has had to be topped up from estuary, raising health concerns.

‘Historic milestone’: Ecuador nears vote to keep Amazon oil on the ground

11 Jul 2023

The fate of the Yasuní rainforest, at the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, will be decided at the polls this August, when the nation votes on whether to leave large oil reserves found within Yasuní on the ground.

Brazil’s President Lula unveils plan to end deforestation by 2030

7 Jun 2023

Lula’s proposal would advance a commitment to deforestation made at the 2021 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland.

Brazil to set tougher climate change target, sources say

24 May 2023

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva plans to commit Brazil to a more ambitious climate change goal this year, addressing criticisms of the previous target set by his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, two sources told Reuters.

Patagonia's underwater defense against climate change

17 May 2023

Chile's Patagonia is known for its mountains and hiking paradise but it is also home to the largest continuous kelp forest in the world.

Caribbean island's quest to become the world's first climate-resilient nation

21 Apr 2023

The Caribbean island of Dominica is one of the world's most at-risk places from climate change. Can it fulfil plans to become the world's first climate-resilient nation?

Brazilian Govt eyes permanent climate emergency for over 1000 cities

28 Mar 2023

Brazil's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva Sunday admitted that President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva's administration was considering the possibility of declaring a state of climate emergency in 1,038 municipalities mapped as most vulnerable, Agencia Brasil reported.

Brazil hit by deadly floods and landslides

22 Feb 2023

Hundreds of rescuers searched on Monday for survivors of landslides and flooding that killed at least 40 people along the coast of Brazil’s southern state of Sao Paulo following a huge weekend downpour.

Calls for action as Brazil Yanomami indigenous people face crisis

27 Jan 2023

Brazilian officials have said that the Yanomami indigenous people are living in dire conditions, as illegal gold miners threaten them with violence and block the delivery of goods such as food and medicine to their embattled region.

Forest equity: what indigenous people want from carbon credits

16 Dec 2022

In a world where carbon credit markets are taking advantage of Indigenous people and their forests, the United Nation is losing its leadership on combating climate change, says Indigenous leader Levi Sucre Romero.

Lawyers press International Court to nvestigate crimes against humanity in Brazil’s Amazon

10 Nov 2022

Even as environmentalists cheer the ouster of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as a turning point for the Amazon rainforest, new information filed Wednesday with the International Criminal Court suggest that the battle to protect the region and its inhabitants is far from over