International: South America
Brazil will join OPEC+, group of oil-exporting nations, months before hosting UN climate summit
20 Feb 2025
Brazil's government on Tuesday approved joining OPEC+, a group of major oil-exporting nations, signalling the country's evolution into a major oil state just nine months ahead of hosting the United Nations' annual climate summit.
Brazil asks UN to ditch proposed levy on global shipping
19 Feb 2025
Brazil has asked the UN to throw out plans for a new levy on global shipping that would raise funds to fight the climate crisis, despite playing host to the next UN climate summit.
Intense heatwave in southern Brazil forces schools to suspend return
14 Feb 2025
Record highs delay start of classes in Rio Grande do Sul, where floods linked to climate crisis left 180 dead last May
Probe details the playbook of one of Amazon's top land grabbers
30 Jan 2025
Professional land grabbers operating in the Brazilian Amazon have sophisticated strategies to steal and deforest public lands and get away with it.
Climate change is disrupting food systems across Latin America, UN report says
29 Jan 2025
Violent weather exacerbated by climate change fuelled hunger and food insecurity across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023, according to a new United Nations report.
Ecuador’s coastal ecosystems have rights, Constitutional Court rules
24 Jan 2025
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador has determined that coastal marine ecosystems have rights of nature, including the right to “integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes."
Loggers and carbon projects forge odd partnerships in the Brazilian Amazon
10 Dec 2024
Brazil’s largest carbon credit scandal, which came to light in June after a major police raid, has cast doubt on the viability of REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon.
Threatened by climate change, Panama Canal has big plans to combat drought
6 Dec 2024
The lush river valleys of El Zaino y La Arenosa in western Panama, home to hundreds of families that eke out a living farming, fishing and raising cattle, could soon be submerged by a massive man-made reservoir designed to ensure the viability of the Panama Canal in the face of a changing climate.
Agribusiness-friendly states in Brazil try to undo forest protections
3 Dec 2024
Several states in Brazil are trying to rid themselves of rainforest protections, bowing to pressure from cattle ranchers and soybean growers to cut down trees and expand agriculture.
Brazil state to consult Indigenous people on carbon credits sale
18 Oct 2024
The government of the Brazilian state of Para in the Amazon will consult Indigenous communities on how they will benefit from the future sale of carbon offset credits that U.S. companies have agreed to buy to try to protect the rainforest.
Deforestation remains low, but fires surge in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest
16 Oct 2024
The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has remained near a six-year low despite a surge in the number of fires burning in Earth’s largest rainforest.
Indigenous groups in Brazil: We were not consulted on carbon credits
14 Oct 2024
Indigenous organizations in the Brazilian state of Para said they were not consulted by the government before it signed a deal with multinational companies to sell carbon offset credits to support conservation of the Amazon rainforest in the state.
Drought has dried a major Amazon River tributary to its lowest level in over 122 years
10 Oct 2024
One of the Amazon River’s main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.
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.
Two Australian states offer free public transport as war pushes up fuel prices
30 Mar 2026
Public transport in two Australian states will be made free to incentivise people not to drive as fuel prices soar due to the war in the Middle East.
Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems?
Today 10:45am
An earlier spring affects when migratory birds arrive, leaves emerge, and fruit ripens — among plants and animals that determine ecosystem health.
China launches two probes into US trade practices
31 Mar 2026
China's commerce ministry has initiated two counter-probes into U.S. practices that hamper the flow of Chinese products into the United States, it said on Friday, refraining from immediate retaliation to U.S. measures announced earlier this month.
Europe’s energy illusion: Why a €1 trillion green bet hasn’t broken the import habit
31 Mar 2026
The war with Iran is exposing a hard truth – Europe’s green push has left it no less dependent on imported energy.
The vested interests lobbying for North Sea oil and gas expansion
Today 10:45am
In the wake of the fossil fuel crisis created by Donald Trump’s war in Iran, a host of influential figures and groups in the UK have been calling not for the rapid rollout of renewable energy, but a growing reliance on oil and gas.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
Fuel crisis powers surge in EV interest in Asia-Pacific region
Today 10:45am
Motorists across the Asia-Pacific region are switching to electric vehicles at a rapid pace, as rising fuel costs due to the Middle East war force consumers and companies to reconsider their reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles.
Vanuatu Indigenous leaders raise concerns over plans to build resort for cruise tourists
Wed 1 Apr 2026
Indigenous community leaders in Vanuatu have raised concerns over plans by the cruise operator Royal Caribbean to build a private beach club on the island of Lelepa, arguing environmental impact assessments by the company are “incomplete” and “misleading”.
China's huge push to reduce air pollution had an unexpected consequence in the Arctic
Thu 2 Apr 2026
China's cuts to aerosol emissions reduced sea ice loss, but it may have revealed a bigger story about climate change.
Rationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
30 Mar 2026
Countries across Africa have taken measures such as diluting petrol and restricting electricity consumption to cope with the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
18 Mar 2026
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a lesson on the risks of relying on fossil fuels which should drive governments to wean their economies off oil and gas faster, the U.N. climate secretary told Reuters on Monday.
