Peru passes “momentous” ban on palm oil deforestation
Peru has just become the second South American country to commit to ending palm oil driven deforestation by 2021.
South America
This archive covers progress stories and milestones from across South America, spanning countries from Brazil and Colombia to Argentina and Peru. Expect reporting on conservation wins, public health advances, economic shifts, and community-led efforts shaping life across the continent.
German court allows Peruvian farmer to sue RWE over climate crisis
The lawsuit alleges that since RWE has produced an roughly 0.47% of GHG emitted by industry, it should be liable to pay an equivalent of the costs.
Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage
The highest court in Ecuador has ruled in favor of the legalization of same-sex unions, in a major victory for the LGBTQ community.
Chile to close 8 coal plants by 2024, phase out coal entirely by 2040
The move would slash the share of coal within the electricity grid from 40% to 20% in five years, with a view to phasing out the fuel completely by 2040.
Brazil’s top court votes to make homophobia and transphobia crimes
Six out of 11 judges voted to consider discrimination against gays and transgender people equivalent to racism.
Ecuador Amazon tribe win first victory against oil companies
Ecuador’s Waorani indigenous tribe won their first victory against big oil companies in a ruling that blocks entry onto ancestral lands for oil exploration.
Brazilian couple plant 4 million trees in 20 years to restore a destroyed forest
Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado and his wife Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado founded Instituto Terra, a small organization that has since planted 4 million saplings and has brought the forest back from the dead.
Iguanas successfully reintroduced to Galapagos island after 200 years
More than 1,400 land iguanas, scientific name Conolophus subcristatus, were taken from the neighboring North Seymour Island and released on Santiago Island between January 3 and 4.
Investor coalition joins manifesto to halt deforestation in the Cerrado region of Brazil
A coalition of investors managing over US$5.6 trillion in assets joined a coalition of more than 70 large food companies in calling for zero deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado region.
World Health Organization certifies Paraguay malaria-free
The World Health Organization (WHO) certified Paraguay as having eliminated malaria, the first country in the Americas to be granted this status since Cuba in 1973.