South America
Brazil seeks European trade advantages in return for Amazon protection
The EU wants environmental guarantees in case a future Brazilian government stops trying to protect the Amazon
As Guyana shows, carbon offsets will not save the Amazon rainforest
With all their flaws, carbon offsets are not the solution to deforestation of the Amazon rainforest – leaders should acknowledge that
Pressure grows on governments and banks to stop supporting Amazon oil and gas
An upcoming summit on protecting the Amazon has become the focus of a Indigenous and civil society-led campaign to set up an exclusion zone for fossil fuels
EU and Argentina strike gas, hydrogen & renewables deal
Brussels and Buenos Aires agreed to work for a “stable delivery” of gas to Europe while cracking down on methane leaks and building renewables
The EU-Mercosur trade deal will harm Brazil’s indigenous communities
Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is gone but agribusiness and congress are still a threat to Brazil’s indigenous communities
Latin America leads resistance to global shipping emission tax
Brazil, Argentina and others have opposed a levy on global shipping emissions at behind-closed-door talks in London
Ahead of elections, Argentina’s leaders wrap fossil fuels in the flag
Argentina’s political class is promoting fossil fuels as a patriotic national endeavour and demonising any environmentalists who oppose them
Colombia accuses Drummond coal mining exec of funding paramilitary group
The current Colombia head of an American coal miner will face trial, accused of giving money to right-wing paramilitaries in the late nineties
Amazon gateway city Belém will host Cop30 climate talks
Brazil’s president Lula said Belém will host Cop30 so that delegates from around the world can learn about the nearby Amazon rainforest.
Lula set to improve Brazil’s climate target
Brazil’s new president Lula is set to improve on the climate target set by his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, Reuters sources say
Regulator blocks Brazilian oil drilling, sparking conflict within government
While President Lula’s environment minister Marina Silva supported the decision, Lula ally Randolfe Rodrigues vowed to oppose it
Exxon scrambles to save investments before Colombia bans fracking
The company is looking at how to get some money back despite Gustavo Petro’s government looking to ban it from fracking in Colombia
Nations fight to be called climate vulnerable in IPCC report
Being recognised as partiuclarly vulnerable can help countries access climate finance and plan adaptation strategies
Argentina secures funding boost to kickstart gas exports from ‘carbon bomb’
President Alberto Fernández is seeking funding for an export pipeline that would channel Vaca Muerta’s gas to neighbouring countries
Biden promises to “work with Congress” to fund Amazon protection
With Jair Bolsonaro out of power, one obstacle to US funding for Amazon rainforest protection has gone – but Republicans in Congress could still block funding.
Colombia gets $70m from new global renewable integration fund
Colombia will get the first pay-out of a $300m Climate Investment Funds pot for transmission lines, batteries, EV chargers and green hydrogen
Brazil launches first raids against Amazon tree-cutters under Lula’s new government
Brazil’s new government is already having an impact on deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, an environmental enforcement agent claimed
Brazil bids to bring Cop30 climate talks to Amazon’s Belem
The city is at the mouth of the Amazon river and is the second-biggest city in the Amazon region after Manaus
Lula revives $1 billion Amazon Fund and environmental protections
On his first day in office as Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva signed a package of seven executive orders to protect the environment
Destruction of Brazil’s Cerrado savanna soars for third year in a row
Brazil’s outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro has presided over four years of destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado grasslands