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Tom Picken, from environmental organization Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland (EWNI) told Real World Radio that the Northern countries must take the lead in making urgent and very deep emissions reductions domestically. In an interview with Real World Radio Picken said the models of development and growth and consumption of the North have far outstripped the Earth’s ability to deal with the waste and the climate crisis to deal with the carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.

In Mexico, the government’s proposal to build El Zapotillo dam in Jalisco state, has sparked the resistance of local communities and there are already over 200 reports filed by social organizations before the State’s Human Rights Commission. The people’s protests are not taken into account by the authorities, who demand the communities to immediately abandon the lands to build the dam and accuse the local groups of “politicizing” the conflict. Real World Radio interviewed Mexican activist Manuel Gutierrez Diaz from Temacapulin town, during the meeting of REDLAR. He explains how these resistance process unfolded.

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While the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) of Panama confirmed that there are nearly thirty hydroelectric projects in the country, social organizations are increasing their criticism to the advance of this model. Panamanian activist Lucía Lasso, from the Alliance for Conservation and Development told Real World Radio that the country’s economic growth has led to an extraordinary increase of the energy demand. As a result of this, the authorities have promoted a series of hydroelectric projects. There are nearly 150 projects currently operating without proper regulations.

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The day has come. Neither the previous conflicts nor the overwhelming propaganda supporting the ‘NO’ option or the rumors of an upcoming catastrophe could change the result. An overwhelming majority- over 60 per cent- voted to support Evo Morales in Sunday’s recall referendum. With this vote Bolivia tried to find a solution to the political crisis that resulted from the confrontation between the constitutional project that defends natural resources, and the nationalization of state-owned companies carried out by Morales and the autonomous plan promoted by the opposing provincial governors.

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Trade agreements with big blocs like the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or with the European Union have experienced a recent boost in Uruguay. On the one hand, the results of the latest negotiation of the World Trade Organization’s Doha Round, is seens by the Uruguayan authorities as a chance to resume a bilateral agreement with the EU. While, on the other hand, the free trade agreement signed with Mesico could be the entrance to NAFTA, so Uruguay would harm the already deteriorated unity of MERCOSUR and what is even worse, it would line up with Peru and Colombia, strong advocates of bilateral and unlimited FTA both with the US and the EU.

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The Second Hemispheric Meeting Against Militarization will take place in La Esperanza municipality, Intibuca department, Honduras, from October 2nd to 6th. Delegates of over twenty countries confirmed their participation. The activity will be held five years after the first call, held in the Mexican state of Chiapas, in preparation for the Americas Social Forum to be held in Guatemala from October 7th through 12th. The calling groups believe this is another space of the Americas Social Forum and want this issue to be key in the struggle for emancipation. The preparatory documents mention the need to strengthen the opposition to Plan Puebla Panama, and neocolonial looting of natural resources. The grassroots movements want the meeting to be a form of exhibition of the historical problem caused by the permanent invasions on Latin American soil.

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Tens of youth will meet at the Paranymph of the University of the Republic in Uruguay on August 9th, to discuss strategies to be considered in the future direction the country should take. Youth from (trade unions, student unions, civil society) organizations of different parts of the country will participate in this meeting. But the meeting is open to anyone interested in participating. Real World Radio spoke with Eduardo Burgos, member of the Uruguayan workers’ central, PIT CNT, who is organizing the meeting with youth from environmental organization REDES-Friends of the Earth Uruguay, the federation of University Students (FEUU), high-school students and the University’s extension service.

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Several people died in Honduras after an attack against peasants living in Guadalupe Carney community, near Puerto de Trujillo. According to Prensa Latina news agency, Rafael Alegria, counselor of the Coordinating Committee of Peasant Organizations, said the attack had been carried out by gunmen paid by estate owner Henry Osorto, who claims the property of the lands donated by the municipality, which have been occupied by nearly 560 families for twenty years. Osorto is also the chief of police and according to Alegria “it is customary for this person to attack peasants when he feels like it”.

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Raquel Cruz from Cesta – Friends of the Earth El Salvador told Real World Radio that “it’s them –the corporations- who should find alternatives, because they are getting all the profits”. The alternative proposed by social organizations is simply “no to dams” since “they can’t put the government’s responsibility on us”. “They should invest in research to find healthier energies. They shouldn’t put the responsibility upon indigenous and peasant communities. It would be unfair that they have to think of alternatives. The consumption patterns should also change, and that can only be achieved with state policies”, Cruz said.

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The Latin American banana producers could create a “common front” to force the European Union (EU) to honor its promise of reducing tariffs. The European bloc took a step backwards in the negotiations with Latin American countries and showed its real face under the cooperation mask it uses to promote free trade agreements. The Costa Rican banana producers are promoting a summit of Latin American fruit exporting countries against the EU’s refusal to sign what it had agreed with the region on Sunday, which implied a tariff reduction on bananas under the World Trade Organization’s Doha Round.

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Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has not finished “repairing the damages” caused by hydroelectric megaprojects, but he is still promoting the building of new projects considered as a “national priority”. Natalia Landivar from the Food First Information Action Network (FIAN) talked with Real World Radio within the 4th Meeting of the Latin American Network of People Affected by Dams, held in the city of Lorica, Colombia. The left wing administration has not yet compensated the thousands of people affected by dams built in the recent years, including the paradigmatic case of the project carried out on the Daule-Peripa river, which damaged nearly 90,000 people in the Ecuadorian border.

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The heavy rains, combined with droughts are the most visible effect of climate change in Costa Rica, Javier Baltodano, member of COECOCEIBA, Friends of the Earth Costa Rica, told Real World Radio. Baltodano said the the main impact of climate change is that the rain patterns have changed substantially, since there are “heavier rains during the rainy season and more intense droughts during the dry season”. “Last year there were record landslides in the mountains because of the heavy rains, many communities were affected, infrastructure was destroyed and some people died because of the heavy rains”, he said.

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A group of neighbors of Cuchilla de Rocha, 40 kilometers off Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, addressed the local authorities to express their rejection to agribusiness and ask for protection from it. Their lands have been surrounded by GM soy plantations. Real World Radio reported that there has been an expansion of GM soy plantations in areas where vegetables had been traditionally planted. The GM crops have been previously fumigated with glyphosate and other agrotoxics. This sparked the opposition of farmers and local residents. The complaints were presented in an “official” meeting of the Board of Rural Development, which comprises the Ministry of Cattle and Agriculture, the local government of Canelones department, the National Institute of Agriculture Research (INIA) and the Institute of Colonization. At a recent meeting, the board passed a motion that proposed a ban on aerial spraying within the department.

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Asia is a highly populated continent, where many people live near the coast. For this reason, one of the effects of climate change that sparks great concern is that if the sea level grows, it will damage many people in Asia. Yuri Onodera, member of Friends of the Earth Japan explained this in an interview with Real World Radio.

The construction of Salvajina reservoir over 20 years ago, and the planned deviation of the Ovejas river concerns the afro-Colombian communities of three municipalities of Valle del Cauca region. These plans of electricity generation, distribution and commercialization are promoted by the Empresa de Energía del Pacífico (EPSA). In November of 2000, 62.4% of the shares of the company was acquired by Spanish group Union Fenosa, which is under scrutiny for its actions in the countries where it operates. According to estimates of the groups that oppose the project -which is supported by right-wing Uribe’s administration - nearly 60,000 people have already been displaced by these energy plans.

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