Tierramérica

Issue of September, 27, 2004



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In a single day, a ton of locusts can eat just as much as 10 elephant
Credit: FAO

Report
Biblical Plague Thrashes Africa
By Julio Godoy
Millions of locusts are devouring vegetables, grains and even clothing in nine African countries. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization fears that the plague -- the worst in 15 years -- will extend even farther.

Dialogues
'The Kyoto Protocol is just a first step'
By Marcela Valente
Tierramérica spoke with Joke Waller-Hunter, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in charge of organizing the upcoming conference of parties to that agreement, to take place in December in Buenos Aires.

Accents
Fires Burn Out of Control
By Franz Chávez
The residents of Santa Cruz, Bolivia are suffering the effects of air pollution caused by more than 2,000 forest fires that were started to clear land for crops and cattle.

Eco-Briefs

Mexican maize
Credit: Claudio Contreras

A Transgenic Sunflower Is Born: ARGENTINA
Scientists from Argentina's Universidad del Litoral have isolated a gene that, once introduced into the sunflower, helps this crop tolerate extreme drought.

COLOMBIA: Eco-Certificates for Flower Growers
Nine Colombian flower-growing companies received ''Florverde'' certification from SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance, an international quality and testing company), for their contributions to protecting the environment and improving the working conditions of their employees.

MEXICO: Demands for Release of Maize Report
The environmental watchdog group Greenpeace will exhaust its legal options to force the Mexican government to release a report on contamination of traditional corn crops with pollen from genetically modified maize. The study was prepared by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC).

PERU: River Tube Proposed
The contamination of the Rímac River, which supplies water to the Peruvian capital, can be reversed by running it through a tube of at least 70 km, says engineer Nicolás Morales in a proposal to the authorities.

GUATEMALA: Aquifers Exhausted
The aquifers that provide water to around two million people in the Guatemalan capital are running dry, say assessors from Empagua, the municipal water agency.

Lessons From a Unique Decade - José Graziano da Silva *
Rio+20 and Beyond: Together for a Sustainable Future - José Graziano da Silva *
Why Inclusive Green Growth Can Sustain Recent Gains in Latin America - Hasan Tuluy*
The Global Food Crisis and the Latin American Paradox - Pamela Cox