By Milagros Salazar
LIMA, Dec 27, 2010 (IPS/IFEJ) –
The construction of five hydroelectric dams in Peru as part of an energy deal with Brazil will do considerable damage to the environment, such as the destruction of nearly 1.5 million hectares of jungle over the next 20 years, according to an independent study. Continue reading Sacrificing the Rainforest on the Altar of Energy
Evidence is mounting that corn ethanol and other basic biofuels are actually worse for the environment than the fossil fuels they’re supposed to replace.
by Marie Brill
Who needs $6 billion? I do! Especially during the holiday season when I try to balance my budget and ever-growing Santa wish lists. I can also tell you who doesn’t need $6 billion this year: big oil and gas conglomerates. They just got a little extra via the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC). If you can believe it, this tax credit–one of the best examples of wasteful spending out there–was attached to the tax cut deal President Obama negotiated with Republicans. Continue reading The Ethanol Industry’s $6 Billion Christmas Gift
President Mwai Kibaki’s government is in turmoil following the naming of some of its ministers as responsible for the post-election violence in 2008 Continue reading Ocampo names six suspects
By Fabiana Frayssinet
RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 22, 2010 (IPS) – In the countdown to her inauguration on Jan. 1, Brazilian President-elect Dilma Rousseff has completed her cabinet, which points to a government of continuity whose most novel aspect will be a greater female presence. Continue reading Continuity, With a Woman’s Face
by Andrew Aylward
The most significant changes to food safety regulation in 70 years were approved by Congress on Tuesday, giving broad new powers to the Food and Drug Administration to step up inspections aimed at preventing outbreaks of disease in the nation’s food production system. Continue reading Food Safety Bill Passes: ‘Victory for Food Movement’
Kenyan MPs have voted overwhelmingly for the country to pull out of the treaty which created the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The move comes a week after the ICC prosecutor named six Kenyans he accuses of being behind post-election violence. The prosecutor’s list included senior politicians and civil servants. Continue reading Kenya MPs vote to leave ICC over poll violence claims
By Mario Osava
PORTO VELHO, Brazil, Dec 6, 2010 (IPS) – “We want real compensation,” said Luis Nascimento de Freitas, a fisherman from Vila Teotonio, a ramshackle town on the banks of the Madeira River that will be flooded when the Santo Antonio hydroelectric plant is completed. Continue reading Mitigating Impacts of Progress in Amazon Jungle
The author questions the appropriateness and efficiency of the current carbon trading policies and practices. Carbon sinks in the south allow Northerners to gain control of, even own, vast tracts of forest land in the south, and the south may not manage them well. “There should be mechanism put in place for the in-country Carbon sinking. The trees needs to be planted where the Carbon is being emitted rather than asking third World Countries to go for Carbon trading.” Continue reading Carbon Sinking: Is it a matter of the west emitting while Third World sinks?
After the eviction of families from the Rift Valley’s Mau forest region, hundreds of children are not in school due to overcrowded classrooms, lack of teachers, and school fees. With few jobs available, parents have no means of providing food for their children and often these young children must join their parents in looking for casual work Continue reading Kenya: Education woes for Mau Forest evictees
The new European Union ambassador to Zimbabwe, Aldo Dell Ariccia, insists that EU sanctions on a select group of Zimbabweans does not hurt the country as a whole. Economic historian Tafataona Mahoso’s opinion differs sharply from the EU envoy. “Lives of people have been devalued and pushed back to 1953 levels.”
HARARE, Nov 18 (IPS) – The word “sanctions” was among the first five words mentioned to the new European Union (EU) ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell Ariccia when he first arrived and met with government officials in Zimbabwe a few months ago. Continue reading ZIMBABWE: “Sanctions Are Hurting the Right People”
