Colombian conflict survivors turn forest heroes in search of climate change solutions
This waterway, a silent witness to the turmoil of the municipality of Mapiripán, has seen it all – the wildlife trafficking, the coca harvests that fuelled conflict, the human bodies left behind amid a heinous massacre and the relentless erosion…
Teen in critical condition with Canada’s first presumptive human case of bird flu
TORONTO, canada — A teenager is in critical condition in a British Columbia children’s hospital, sick with Canada’s first presumptive human case of avian influenza. “This was a healthy teenager prior to this, so no underlying conditions,” said provincial health…
Children face unprecedented crisis amid rising violence in Haiti
Virginia Gamba, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, highlighted the impact on children of the extreme levels of brutality and lawlessness across the country. “Children are being used by armed gangs in Haiti and we…
Mexico City’s floating gardens in peril
MEXICO CITY — Cassandra Garduño squinted in the sunlight, her pink boots smudged by dirt as she gazed out over her family’s chinampa — one of the islands first built up by the Aztecs with fertile mud from the bottom…
Canada detects its first presumptive human H5 bird flu case
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada has detected its first presumptive case of H5 bird flu in a person, a teenager in the western province of British Columbia, health officials said Saturday. The teenager likely caught the virus from a bird or…
Nicaragua: Alarming erosion of freedom and academic autonomy
In a new report released on Friday, the three-person group of experts – who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council – found authorities have used physical and psychological violence, including threats of intimidation, beatings and prolonged solitary confinement…
Canada orders TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved but won’t block app
Canada announced Wednesday it won’t block access to the popular video-sharing app TikTok but is ordering the dissolution of its Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind it. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is…
Public funding for nature conservation stalls at COP16, eyes on private investment
CALI, Colombia — Wealthy nations appeared to hit a limit with how much they are willing to pay to conserve nature around the world, instead shifting their focus at the two-week U.N. biodiversity summit toward discussions of private money filling…
Agreement signed at UN summit gives Indigenous groups voice
CALI, Colombia — After two weeks of negotiations, delegates on Saturday agreed at the United Nations conference on biodiversity to establish a subsidiary body that will include Indigenous peoples in future decisions on nature conservation, a development that builds on…
Drought or flooding? No match for this climate-friendly bean
As COP16 wraps up its global biodiversity meeting in Colombia this week, we are taking you to a frontline in the battle against climate change, where for centuries the Wayúu have navigated challenges in one the world’s most inhospitable environments. When…