The Andes
Colombia: coffee strike claims advances
With a strike that lasted from Feb. 24 to March 8, tens of thousands of Colombian coffee growers took to the streets across the country, ultimately claiming victory.
Tag: climate destabilization
The Amazon
Ecuador: ‘uncontacted’ Amazon group kills two
Reprisals are feared in a sensitive part of Ecuador’s Amazon following an attack by “uncontacted” tribesmen in which two members of the Waorani people were killed.
Planet Watch
Arctic Great Game in Alaska missile deployment?
As the Pentagon adds 14 interceptors to its anti-missile system in Alaska, some observers see a design on Arctic resources also sought by competitors Russia and China.
Planet Watch
Peak oil apocalyptoids: eating crow yet?
The US Geological Survey estimates there is seven to eight times more oil in the ground than the human race has yet consumed—and this constitutes the real threat to the planet.
Planet Watch
Court upholds statutory protection for polar bears
A US appeals court upheld the listing of polar bears as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act due to the threat to their habitat from global warming.
The Andes
Peru: new mobilization against Conga project
Campesinos in Peru’s northern Cajamarca region began the year with a renewed campaign against the pending Conga mining project, pledging to occupy the concession area.
The Amazon
Bolivia: deforestation decree protested
A new law promulgated by Bolivia’s President Evo Morales forgives past illegal deforestation in the name of boosting food production—drawing criticism from ecologists.
Oceania
Kali Yuga in Australia
Nuclear disaster was narrowly averted in Sydney when one of the wildfires sweeping New South Wales threatened an atomic research station near the city.
Planet Watch
Protesters occupy Keystone XL offices in Houston
More than 100 protesters stormed the lobby of TransCanada's Keystone office in Houston as a new tree-sit was established at the Texas town of Diboll to block pipeline construction.
Mexico
Oaxaca: indigenous protest camp eviction
A protest encampment of Triqui indigenous campesinos displaced from their village by paramilitary violence was evicted by police in downtown Oaxaca City.
Iran
Iranian cities evacuated by smog alert
Iranian authorities have advised the 1.5 million residents of Isfahan to leave the city because air pollution has reached emergency levels—while denying rumors of a nuclear leak.
Planet Watch
King crabs invade Antarctica: no joke
Grist notes a Dec. 12 report on Nature: Cold temperatures have kept crabs out of Antarctic seas for 30 million years. But warm water from the ocean depths is now intruding onto the continental shelf, and seems to be changing… Read moreKing crabs invade Antarctica: no joke