South America
Why the international community should back Colombia’s post-fossil fuel plan
At COP29 talks in Baku, rewarding Colombia’s leadership would build confidence in the transition to a greener, fairer world
Adaptation Fund head laments “puzzling” lack of pledges at COP29
Even as leaders highlight the urgency of protecting people from more extreme weather and rising seas, they have been reluctant to pay up at COP29 for the measures needed
Colombia to present proposal for new critical minerals pact at COP30
The aim is for minerals used in the clean energy transition to be mined and commercialised responsibly, respecting the environment and communities
Is Brazil’s Lula a climate leader?
The Brazilian president has run up against similar challenges to his US counterpart Joe Biden – and it’s bad news for the planet
Belém’s electric bus controversy: a cautionary tale for COP30
A plan for new buses in the Brazilian city hosting the 2025 UN climate summit was held up by a political row that suggests the road to COP30 could get rocky
A simmering conflict over one of Latin America’s biggest wind hubs confronts Mexico’s next president
Claudia Sheinbaum will have to deal with violent divisions over wind power projects on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Calls for responsible mining fail to stem rights abuses linked to transition minerals
As demand grows for critical minerals used in clean energy supply chains, new data suggests more protection is needed for communities affected by their extraction
Argentinian scientists condemn budget cuts ahead of university protest
Right-wing President Javier Milei has taken an axe to funding for education and scientific bodies, sparking fears for climate research
As donors dither, Indigenous funds seek to decolonise green finance
Tired of waiting for donor dollars for climate and nature protection to trickle down, Indigenous rights groups are creating new funds to do things differently
Forest carbon accounting allows Guyana to stay net zero while pumping oil
Experts say UN rules around forests and oil are open to abuse, so that countries like Guyana can claim to be carbon-negative without cutting emissions
Argentine resistance hinders Milei’s forest and glacier destruction
Ultra free-market president Javier Milei has not so far been able to get cuts to environmental regulations through Congress
Junk offset sellers push to enter new UN carbon market
Renewable energy schemes make up four-fifths of Kyoto-era projects hoping to keep selling offsets under Article 6, sparking concerns over the credibility of the new market.
Germany and US warn Brazil against using Amazon Fund to pave rainforest road
The Brazilian government wants to tap forest protection funds to pave a major highway. Western donors say that goes against the fund’s rules.
Brazil lawmakers approve using green fund to pave road through Amazon rainforest
Donations meant to preserve the Amazon rainforest may be spent paving the road, which critics say will worsen the forest’s destruction
Colombia’s big green plans run into headwinds
Tricky politics have hampered renewable growth and plans to stop oil and gas exploration have sparked economic fears
Argentine rewilding debate descends into legal threats
A nature conservation foundation has accused Argentine scientists of slander after criticism of their rewilding methods
Lula scraps Bolsonaro’s cuts to Brazilian climate target ambition
Brazil will go back to the climate targets it drew up in 2015 while it works on new and improved ones
Green debt swaps, explained
Debt-for-nature and debt-for-climate swaps are becoming more common, with Ecuador’s recent $1.6bn deal the biggest yet. How do they work?
Soy, beef and gold gangsters: Why Bolivia and Venezuela won’t protect the Amazon
Bolivia wants to chop down trees to grow soy, beef and palm oil while Venezuela is unwilling or unable to restrain illegal gold mining
One of 2023’s most extreme heatwaves is happening in the middle of winter
Temperatures in parts of South America are 20C (68F) more than normal, one of the most extreme deviations ever seen