In a world of higher electricity demand growth, clean electricity is stepping up to the challenge. Spearheaded by exponential solar expansion, clean power is set to grow faster than demand, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil generation. 2024 both clarified and consolidated the shape of the global …
Brazil will likely experience a moderate El Nino by the end of the year, bringing steady rain to the country's main grain producing regions and sustained drought in the arid north, the national meteorological institute, Inmet, said. Inmet meteorologist Fabrício Daniel dos Santos Silva said six consecutive quarters of warming …
The number of dengue fever cases in Brazil is expected to further increase, Health Minister Arthur Chioro said Monday. "We have 745,000 registered cases from January to April 18, and we know that these figures will increase, because new reports keep coming. Brazil has a situation of epidemic, concentrated in …
UN chief Ban Ki-Moon is calling for renewed "global action" to limit climate change ahead of a quadrennial congress in Geneva. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) meeting is a forerunner to a key conference in Paris at the end of the year which will be the first attempt to clinch …
A strong El Nino is likely to increase prices of staple foods such as rice, coffee, sugar and cocoa, say scientists. Forecasters agree that the El Nino effect, which can drive droughts and flooding, is under way in the tropical Pacific. But they say it is too early to say …
May 18 Brazilian prosecutors said on Monday they would seek at least 50 million reais ($16.6 million) from multinational pesticide manufacturers for alleged safety violations at a collection facility for used pesticide containers. The violations, in the west-central farming state of Mato Grosso, exposed workers at the facility to "risk …
Prosecutor recommends that Brazilian courts reject $9.5 billion Ecuadorian contamination judgment Seeking to avoid payment of a disputed $9.5 billion pollution judgment in Ecuador, Chevron won a round in Brazil. Last week, a senior Brazilian legal official recommended that his nation's courts refuse to enforce the Ecuadorian judgment. The recommendation …
Food retailers such as McDonald’s, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts, as well as agribusinesses like Cargill, are among the big companies to recently make zero-deforestation pledges. But do these commitments achieve anything other than PR for food companies? New research indicates they might. A study published Tuesday in the journal Conservation …
Many of the world’s top surfers are in Rio de Janeiro for a major surfing competition that kicked off on Tuesday amid persistent worries about the city’s polluted waters. Kelly Slater of the United States and Brazilian star Gabriel Medina were among those competing at the Oi Rio Pro event, …
Colombia's armed forces have arrested 59 people in a major crackdown on illegal mining in the Amazon. Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said they had dismantled an illegal financing network used by the Farc guerrilla group. He said 63 sites near the border with Brazil and Venezuela - where gold, …
The Brazilian rainforest could be effectively nationalised under a draft bill being considered by the country’s MPs. The proposed legislation would recognise the sovereignty of Brazil over the Amazon’s natural resources and set up a national Amazonian policy council with the aim of enshrining environmental protection and regulating economic activities …
Antimicrobials are used in livestock production to maintain health and productivity. These practices contribute to the spread of drug-resistant pathogens in both livestock and humans, posing a significant public health threat. We present the first global map (228 countries) of antibiotic consumption in livestock and conservatively estimate the total consumption …
The Nature Conservancy’s white paper, “The Power of Rivers: Finding balance between energy and conservation in hydropower development,” addresses the global expansion of hydropower dams and the need to find development scenarios that provide energy, but also work for communities and nature. Designed as a resource for hydropower companies, governments, …
North and South America have become the first regions of the world to eradicate rubella, or German measles, after no home-grown cases in five years. The virus - spread by sneezes or coughs - can lead to serious birth defects if contracted by pregnant women. Up to 20,000 children were …
A sewage-filled Rio de Janeiro beach has been removed from the list of venues for a surfing competition in the city in May, the World Surf League said on Wednesday. A spokesman, Dave Prodan, said São Conrado beach had to be removed as a competition site “due to pollution issues”. …
The vast tropical forests of Amazonia account for almost one-fifth of the world's terrestrial vegetation carbon stock About 1% of all the tree species in the Amazon account for half of the carbon locked in the vast South American rainforest, a study has estimated. Although the region is home to …
OSLO – Economic output by the world’s oceans is worth $2.5 trillion a year, rivaling nations such as Britain or Brazil, but marine wealth is sinking fast because of overfishing, pollution and climate change, a study said on Thursday. “The deterioration of the oceans has never been so fast as …
Move for sustainable development, without compromising on competitiveness; five countries account for 26% of land area dominated the first meeting of the BRICS environment ministers held in Moscow on Wednesday. Ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, …
Honduras is the deadliest place for environmental activists with scores of Hondurans killed defending land rights and the environment from mining, dam projects and logging, a campaign group said on Monday. Between 2010 and 2014, 101 activists were murdered in Honduras, the highest rate per capita of any country surveyed …
Each week at least two people are being killed for taking a stand against environmental destruction. Some are shot by police during protests, others gunned down by hired assassins. As companies go in search of new land to exploit, increasingly people are paying the ultimate price for standing in their …
More than three million of the world's poorest people have been forced from their homes, land and jobs over the past decade by World Bank-funded projects, an investigation showed on Thursday as the global lender vowed to review its policies. The World Bank, which aims to end extreme poverty, has …
