Tierramérica

Issue of June, 24, 2006



	Current Edition

	Report

	Accents

	Analysis

	Dialogues

	Notable Writings

	Eco-Briefs

	Gallery

	Video



	Contacts

	Permisos de uso

Mexico City's air pollution is an ongoing environmental headache.
Credit: Proceso

Report
Environmental Thumbs-Down for Mexico's Presidential Candidates
By Diego Cevallos
Vague and contradictory -- that's how activists describe the environmental proposals of the presidential candidates for Mexico's July 2 elections. If natural gas and gasoline prices are cut, consumption and air pollution will skyrocket, they warn.

Flu virus tests at a laboratory in Spain.
Credit: Photo Stock

Accents
Pre-Pandemic Vaccine at the Forefront in Bird Flu Fight
By Stephen Leahy
Scientists around the globe are working around the clock in search of vaccines that could improve the human immunological response to a potential flu pandemic.

Eco-Briefs

Tobacco Leafs

CUBA: Beneficial Uses of Tobacco
Cuban scientists announced they are studying the extraction of solanesol from tobacco plants, in a search for additional benefits to the island's famous industry of hand-rolled cigars. The extract is the precursor of an antioxidant with anti-carcinogen properties.

HONDURAS: Catholic Cardinal Urges Against Giving In to Gold
Catholic Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez has exhorted the executive and legislative branches of the Honduran government not to give in to pressure from the transnational mining corporations that want to expand open pit mining in this Central American country.

VENEZUELA: The Return of the Water Lentil
The lemna sp, a floating green lentil, has made a forceful reappearance this month in Lake Maracaibo in western Venezuela. It has contaminated the shores of the city of Maracaibo and fishing areas, and triggered protests from fishing communities, who demand that the government clear it away.

GUATEMALA: Ex-Paramilitaries Plant Trees
- Guatemala's President Oscar Berger planted the first tree in a two-year program for planting 75 million -- half of which will be done by former paramilitaries.

BRAZIL: Promoting Organic Products
A national campaign to promote organic products began June 23 in Brazil, where at least 20,000 farmers, mostly running small operations, are dedicated to growing agrochemical-free crops on a total of 6.5 million hectares.

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