South America

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

Monday - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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...

Brazil hosting Amazon summit: What you need to know

8 Aug 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - 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 23 - After years of underinvestment, reservoir has had to be topped up from estuary, raising health concerns.