Latin America and the Caribbean

Written by: Kimberly White Best known for its beaches and annual Carnival, the city of Rio de Janeiro has taken a step in its battle against air pollution stemming from the millions of vehicles on the city’s streets. In an effort to work towards a more...

Written by: Kimberly White  Panama’s plastic bag ban has gone into effect. Panama became the first Central American country to ban single-use plastic bags in 2018.  As of July 20th, retailers, supermarkets, and pharmacies can no longer use polyethylene bags. Similar to other single-use plastics bans, businesses...

Written by: Oliver Wilson For hundreds of thousands of years, the distinctive candelabra shapes of Araucaria trees (Araucaria angustifolia) have defined landscapes at the southern edge of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. Humans have never known a world without these majestic evergreens. But my new research, conducted with...

Written by: Kimberly White  Costa Rica has been awarded the 2019 UN Champion of the Earth award. The Central American country is recognized for its steadfast commitment to the environment and ambitious policies to tackle the climate crisis.  The Champions of the Earth award is the...

Written by: Kimberly White  Global Wildlife Conservation and the Wildlife Conservation Society are working to save Mesoamerica’s five largest forests. The wildlife groups teamed up with four Central American countries, the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), Indigenous peoples, and local communities to...

Written by: Jim Daley Fires raging across the Amazon in recent weeks have gripped the world’s attention and renewed concerns over deforestation in this iconic ecosystem. The widespread use of fire to deliberately clear the rain forest not only endangers its rich biodiversity but also...

Written by: John C. Cannon A new app aimed at tracking forest fires in Bolivia could shake up the way authorities and firefighters battle fires, allowing them to pinpoint their locations more accurately and safely. Called “Amazon Fires — Bolivia,” the application pulls in data on...

Written by: Matthew Harris If you have turned on a TV or read the news during the past few months, you have probably heard of the widespread fires that wrought havoc on the Amazon rainforest this year. Fires occur in the rainforest every year, but...

This profile is published in collaboration with Level Magazine Coté Castañeda is an industrial and civil engineer, and she is a dreamer and visionary of the circular economy, sustainability, and green businesses focused on recycling processes. Currently, she has advised 120 public and private companies...

Courtesy of Forests News Written by: Julie Mollins Indigenous federations and the Peruvian government are confronting obstacles caused by conflicts over land-tenure rights to implement effective climate mitigation programs, raising hopes that their innovative collaborative approach could be replicated in other regions, scientists say. Efforts to introduce REDD+ programs (Reducing...