Extreme temperatures and severe droughts are ravaging Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, and taking a heavy toll on local harvests. Global demand, meanwhile, continues to surge, particularly in China. Now…Continue readingWhy is your morning joe so expensive? Brazil’s coffee farms have the answer.
Tag: south america
A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém. The Amazon…Continue readingAmazon forest felled to build road for climate summit
Argentina’s port city of Bahia Blanca has been “destroyed” after being pummeled by a year’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, killing 13 and driving hundreds from their homes.…Continue reading13 die in Argentina after 1 year’s worth of rain falls in 8 hours
Wildfires in Brazil last year consumed a total area larger than all of Italy, a monitor reported Wednesday, as the country continues to battle blazes often set by farmers and ranchers…Continue readingBrazil saw 79% jump in area burned by fires in 2024
Ecuador has declared a 60-day state of emergency as the South American country has been hit by a severe drought and record wildfires that have razed large swaths of territory over…Continue readingEcuador declares 60-day state of emergency to help battle wildfires
About 150 miles south-east of the US city of New Orleans, Shell’s newest oil platform looms above the choppy waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Dubbed Vito, the structure embodies a…Continue readingOffshore oil is back. At what cost?
At least eight people died after heavy rains in Brazil, authorities said Saturday, as storms swept parts of the country following a severe drought that fueled a record wave of wildfires.…Continue readingEight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
The world’s energy watchdog has signalled a new energy era in which countries have access to more oil, gas and coal than needed to fuel their economic growth, leading to lower…Continue readingFossil fuels could become cheaper and more abundant, says IEA
The Amazon rainforest could be reaching an irreversible tipping point beyond which it will decline until “we’re just left with scrub,” conservationists have warned. WWF’s biennial Living Planet report said the…Continue readingAmazon rainforest near tipping point partly driven by UK consumers, WWF says
Wildfires are burning through the carbon budget that humans have allocated themselves to limit global heating, a study shows. The authors said this accelerating trend was approaching – and may have…Continue readingWildfires are burning through humanity’s carbon budget
Rationing of goods such as meat and fuel can both effectively and fairly reduce consumption with high climate impact. Almost 40% of the public say they could accept such measures. These…Continue readingStudy finds about 40% of public supports rationing measures to fight climate change
In July 2024, global temperatures reached unprecedented levels, breaking historical records with an average of 17.16°C. This extreme heat has led soil water to evaporate, leaving the vegetation and biodiversity more…Continue readingGlobal drought threatens food supplies and energy production
River Madeira’s waters have fallen to their lowest level since the 1960s and the skies overhead have filled with smoke from wildfires that are raging across Brazil. Vast, desert-like expanses of…Continue readingBrazil’s ‘Paradise’ on fire: ‘The forest is burning. Animals are burning. Everything’s burning’
Colombian authorities said Sunday they were fighting forest fires across seven departments, as a scorching drought fanned blazes across Latin America. From Ecuador to Brazil, many Latin American nations are gripped…Continue readingColombia battles fires as drought fuels Latin American flames
Brazil is burning. From the Amazon rainforest to the Pantanal wetlands, flames have consumed millions of hectares of forest and farmland in recent weeks. Nearly two-thirds of Latin America’s biggest country…Continue readingWhat we know about the fire ‘pandemic’ plaguing Brazil
South America is experiencing its worst forest fire season in nearly two decades, with millions of acres burning across several countries. The blazes come amid the region’s worst drought on record,…Continue readingNo one should be surprised that South America is burning
The Brazilian government wants to develop the upper 435 miles (700km) of the Paraguay River into the Paraguay-Paraná hidrovia (waterway). In 2022 and 2023, preliminary licences were issued for the construction…Continue readingPantanal waterway project would destroy a ‘paradise on Earth’, scientists warn
Regional authorities in Brazil on Monday declared a state of emergency as the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetlands, faces “out of control fires,” according to a decree. The surge of…Continue reading‘Out of control fires’ in Brazil wetlands spark state of emergency
Deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado region, a vast tropical savanna renowned for its rich biodiversity, increased sharply in 2023 and overtook that of the Amazon, according to a report published Tuesday. In…Continue readingDeforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado higher than in Amazon: Report
A study conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and reported in an article published in Nature Communications shows that the Cerrado, Brazil’s savanna biome, is…Continue readingDrought in the Brazil’s Cerrado is the worst for at least seven centuries, study shows
The air quality in San Pedro Sula, the second-largest city in Honduras, as been classified as the most polluted on the American continent due to forest fires and weather conditions aggravated…Continue readingHonduran city’s air pollution is almost 50 times higher than WHO guidelines
More than a third of the Amazon rainforest is struggling to recover from drought, according to a new study that warns of a “critical slowing down” of this globally important ecosystem.…Continue readingMore than third of Amazon rainforest struggling to recover from drought, study finds
Migratory fish populations have crashed by more than 80% since 1970, new findings show. Populations are declining in all regions of the world, but it is happening fastest in South America…Continue readingMigratory freshwater fish populations ‘down by more than 80% since 1970’
Hunger and disease are rising in Latin America after a year of record heat, floods and drought, a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has shown. The continent, which is…Continue readingDisease and hunger soar in Latin America after floods and drought, study finds
Overpowering floods and mudslides caused by torrential rains are continuing to sweep southern Brazil, killing at least 56 people and forcing tens of thousands out of their homes, the government said.…Continue reading‘It’s going to be worse’: Brazil braces for more pain amid record flooding
The Whiptail project, which will use a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, will entail an investment of around $12.7bn. It would include up to ten drill centres with 48…Continue readingExxonMobil decides to proceed with Whiptail development offshore Guyana
The destruction of the world’s most pristine rainforests continued at a relentless rate in 2023, despite dramatic falls in forest loss in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon, new figures show. An…Continue readingGlobal rainforest loss continues at rate of 10 football pitches a minute
A skeleton lies exposed to the elements as turquoise Caribbean waters lap the shores near a shattered tomb—a grisly reminder that the Colombian city of Cartagena is slowly being swallowed by…Continue readingColombia’s Caribbean jewel slowly sinking as sea waters rise
The Amazon rainforest could approach a tipping point, which could lead to a large-scale collapse with serious implications for the global climate system. A new Nature study by an international research…Continue readingAmazon rainforest at a critical threshold: Loss of forest worsens climate change
The devastating drought in the Amazon River Basin that reported in October has continued into Northern Hemisphere winter, which is the heart of the wet season in the southern part of…Continue readingWhat’s causing the Amazon’s ongoing record drought?
Chile began two days of national mourning Monday for at least 122 victims of a raging wildfire, as the search continued for the missing and survivors picked through the scorched remains…Continue readingChile mourns 122 killed in wildfire inferno, searches for missing
The climate crisis turned the drought that struck the Amazon rainforest in 2023 into a devastating event, a study has found. The drought was the worst recorded in many places and…Continue readingDevastating drought in Amazon result of climate crisis
Petrobras and its partners have started production from the second phase of development of the Mero field (Mero-2 project) located on the Libra block in the pre-salt area of Brazil’s Santos…Continue readingPetrobras and partners begin production from Mero-2 project offshore Brazil
Hundreds of thousands of people rely on the Amazon’s rivers and streams for food, transportation and income. But the historically low water levels have forced residents to reimagine their relationship to…Continue reading‘Everything is dead’: How record drought is wreaking havoc on the Amazon
More than 400 oil and gas projects were approved globally in the last two years despite calls to abandon all new hydrocarbon development, new figures showed as the UN COP28 climate…Continue readingHundreds of new oil and gas projects approved despite climate crisis
October, November and December are usually a period of transition. By now, the dry season would normally have peaked, and rivers and aquifers would start to replenish. But the rains refuse…Continue reading‘Everything is parched’: Amazon struggles with drought amid deforestation
Standing amid a terrain of rugged red craters that looks like something from Mars, Brazilian farmer Ubiratan Lemos Abade extends his arms, pointing to two possible futures for this land fast…Continue readingIn Brazil town turning to desert, farmers fight to hang on
The water level at a major river port in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has hit its lowest point in at least 121 years, as a historic drought upends the lives of hundreds…Continue readingWater level at Amazon port in Brazil hits lowest point in 121 years amid drought
The deadly heat in central South America over the past two months was made 100 times more likely by human emissions that disrupted the climate, scientists have shown. Temperatures have exceeded…Continue readingHuman emissions made deadly South American heat 100 times more likely
The carcasses of 120 river dolphins have been found floating in a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil over the last week in circumstances that experts suspect were caused by…Continue readingDeaths of 120 Amazon dolphins linked to severe drought, high temperatures
There is “no contradiction” between Brazil’s plans to step up oil and gas exploration, including in waters off the Amazon rainforest, and its aspiration to lead the world’s transition to green…Continue readingBrazil minister says oil and green ambitions are not contradictory
Temperatures in parts of Chile and northern Argentina have soared to 10°C–20°C above average over the last few days. Towns in the Andes mountains have reached 38°C or more, while Argentina’s…Continue readingOne of 2023’s most extreme heat waves is happening in the middle of winter
The canal relies on rainwater to move ships through a series of locks that function like water elevators, raising the vessels up and over the continent between the Atlantic and Pacific…Continue readingDrought-hit Panama Canal must ‘adapt or die’ as water levels drop
On Tuesday, the mountain town of Vicuna in central Chile hit 37 degrees Celsius (almost 99 degrees Fahrenheit). Meanwhile in Buenos Aires, the temperature exceeded 30˚C (86˚F) on Tuesday, making it…Continue readingSouth America sweats under high temps—in the middle of winter
Natural gas from the world’s second-largest shale gas reserve in Patagonia will reach Buenos Aires in the coming weeks through a new pipeline, marking a milestone in Argentina’s push to become…Continue readingArgentina hits milestone on path to gas export bonanza
More than 800m trees have been cut down in the Amazon rainforest in just six years to feed the world’s appetite for Brazilian beef, according to a new investigation, despite dire…Continue readingMore than 800m Amazon trees felled in six years to meet beef demand
With a daily production capacity of up to 150,000 barrels of oil and six million m3 of gas, FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) Almirante Barroso is located 180km off the…Continue readingPetrobras starts production of FPSO Almirante Barroso in Búzios field
“The world will need these vital oil resources to meet future energy demand and help ensure an affordable, just and secure energy transition.” The Uaru field development project, which is expected…Continue readingExxonMobil, Hess take FID on $12.7bn Uaru oil project offshore Guyana
From Petrobras’ own platform portfolio, the P-71 is an FPSO (floating unit for the production, storage, and transfer of oil and gas) type with capacity to process up to 150,000 barrels…Continue readingPetrobras announces start of P-71 production
The Venezuelan government and the opposition returned to political negotiations in Mexico — suspended for more than a year — and signed a rare humanitarian agreement that seeks to free up…Continue readingChevron to resume Venezuela oil production
ExxonMobil’s Uaru development is targeting approximately 1.319 billion barrels of oil. MODEC has won a contract to undertake engineering and design for a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO) to…Continue readingMODEC wins contract for FPSO of ExxonMobil’s Uaru oil project
The number of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon hit a nearly 15-year high this week, according to official figures that provided the latest warning on the advancing destruction of the…Continue readingBrazil records worst day for Amazon fires in 15 years
In its State of the Climate report for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for 2021, the WMO said ecosystems, food and water, human health and welfare were all taking a…Continue readingBattered by climate change, Latin America must brace for worse
Deforestation of the Amazon hit a new record during the first half of 2022. Satellite data showed more than 3,980 square kilometers, an area five times the size of New York…Continue readingAmazon deforestation hits six-year high in Brazil
Spanning more than 179,000 km2 (69,000 square miles) in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, the Pantanal boasts one of the highest concentration of flora and fauna in South America while serving as…Continue readingThe Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, is at risk of collapse
Satellite images show a total area of destroyed forest cover of 1,012.5 square kilometres (391 square miles) from April 1 to 29, with the last day of the month yet to…Continue readingBrazil deforestation shatters April record
As a punishing, record-breaking drought enters its 13th year, Chile has announced an unprecedented plan to ration water for the capital of Santiago, a city of nearly 6 million. The plan…Continue readingChile announces unprecedented plan to ration water as drought enters 13th year
Scientists from the University of Illinois tracked species of birds in a protected forest reserve in central Panama to determine if and how populations had changed from 1977 to 2020. A…Continue readingBird populations in Panama rainforest in severe decline
The Amazon is approaching a tipping point, data shows, after which the rainforest would be lost with “profound” implications for the global climate and biodiversity. Novel statistical analysis shows that more…Continue readingAmazon rainforest tipping point is looming
The area is known for its leafy streets, stately homes, imperial palace – today a museum – and the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains. Tuesday’s storms dumped 258 millimetres (10…Continue reading‘Like a war zone’: Deaths in Brazil floods, mudslides top 100
Deforestation last year rose to the highest level since 2015 in Brazil’s Cerrado, prompting scientists on Monday to raise alarm over the state of the world’s most species-rich savanna and a…Continue readingBrazil: deforestation jumps in world’s largest savanna as scientists raise alarm
Scientists estimate that 16.9 million vertebrates were killed by fires in the Pantanal wetlands, Brazil, between Jan & Nov 2020. Sampling likely excluded species incl. jaguars, pumas & tapirs, & doesn’t…Continue readingAlmost 17 million vertebrates killed in the 2020 wildfires in Brazil
The 13,235 square kilometers (5,110 square miles) of forest lost from August 2020 to July 2021 was the largest swath since 14,286 square kilometers were cleared in 2005-06. The rate of…Continue readingBrazil Amazon deforestation up 22% in a year; a 15 year record
Across the region, the price of historic dryness is being measured in lost crops, a slowdown in mining, surging transportation costs and shortages of energy in a region heavily dependent on…Continue readingIn South America, the climate future has arrived.
Unusually powerful sandstorms have left at least six people dead in Sao Paulo in recent weeks, local media said, as southeastern Brazil grapples with severe drought. Scenes of huge orange dust…Continue readingExtreme drought in Brazil triggers fatal sand storms
The government said 200,000 hectares (495,000 acres) had burned in just two days.Continue readingWildfires devastate Bolivian nature reserves
Area lost is 57% higher than in the previous year and is the worst since 2012. “Deforestation is still out of control,” Carlos Souza, a researcher at Imazon said. “Brazil is…Continue readingDeforestation in Brazilian Amazon hits highest annual level in a decade
The Paraná River, one of the main commercial waterways in South America, has reached its lowest level in nearly 80 years due to a prolonged drought in Brazil that scientists attribute…Continue readingDrought hits South America river, threatening vast ecosystem
The Andes mountain range is facing historically low snowfall this year during a decade-long drought that scientists link to global warming. “Here we are seeing a process of long-term decrease in precipitation,…Continue reading‘Mega-drought’ leaves many Andes mountains without snow cover
“The positive feedback, where deforestation and climate change drive a release of carbon from the remaining forest that reinforces additional warming and more carbon loss is what scientists have feared would happen. Now…Continue readingAmazon rainforest now emitting more CO₂ than it absorbs