Loggers and carbon projects forge odd partnerships in the Brazilian Amazon

Tuesday - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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...

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

7 Aug 24 - 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...

Brazil minister warns carbon credit buyers to beware fraud

6 Aug 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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 24 - 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.

More in the South America Archive