Tierramérica

Issue of February, 21, 2011



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	Report

	Accents

	Analysis

	Dialogues

	Notable Writings

	Eco-Briefs

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Juan Pablo Sáenz, one of the five Ecuadorean attorneys who won the case against Chevron
Credit: Gonzalo Ortiz/IPS

Dialogues
"The Verdict Against Chevron Is Enforceable, Because It Is Just"
By Gonzalo Ortiz
"Many people said that an Ecuadorean court would never rule against a big transnational corporation," Juan Pablo Sáenz told Tierramérica. He is the youngest on the Ecuadorean prosecuting team against Chevron in the environmental case of the century.

Farmers plant African palm in the northern Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz
Credit: Laura Hurtado, Courtesy of ActionAid Guatemala

Accents
Agro-Fuel Debate Takes Root in Central America
By Danilo Valladares
Following the historic defeat of banana crops, now sugarcane and palm oil are gaining ground as industrial monoculture in Central America.

Eco-Briefs

BRAZIL: From Coffee Dregs to Biofuel
Coffee dregs can be used to produce biodiesel. That is the result of an experiment of the Polytechnic School's chemical engineering department at the University of São Paulo.

MEXICO: The Monarch Returns
The population of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and the forest area it occupies in Mexico grew last year in comparison to 2009, according to reports from various organizations.

HONDURAS: Greater Local Autonomy for Environmental Management
Honduras will promote the autonomy of local governments in environmental management, putting administrative tasks in their hands, like authorizing minor construction permits and charging specific taxes.

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