Yearly deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by almost a third since August 2023, according to government statistics published Wednesday. Deforestation is at a nine-year low after historic droughts and wildfires wrecked havoc on the crucial biome over the past year, reports AFP.
In addition to the Amazon, destruction of the Cerrado, the most species-rich savanna in the world, which is located in central Brazil, was reduced by 25.7 percent or 8,174 square kilometers.
"What was presented here today is the fruit of our labor," said Environment Minister Marina Silva. "It is possible for us to confront climate change," she added. (Reuters)
“The government has recovered a considerable part of the damage done by the Bolsonaro administration,” Márcio Astrini, the executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, told Mongabay. “It brought COP to Brazil, reduced deforestation and created the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples,” he told Mongabay.
Though Lula’s government has had success in curbing deforestation, environmentalists are critical of development projects that could be devastating, such as the pavement of a highway that cuts from an old-growth area, oil drilling in the mouth of the Amazon River and building a railway to transport soy to Amazonian ports, reports the Associated Press.
Cuba
About 50,000 people took shelter in Havana after Hurricane Rafael hit Cuba as a category 3 storm on Wednesday. Damage and blackouts caused by Rafael are adding to discontent already simmering in Cuba amid an ongoing economic crisis, reports the Associated Press.
By yesterday power in the central and eastern part of the country was restored, though at least 2 million people remain without electricity in the west, including Havana, reports the Washington Post.
The Energy and Mines Ministry said yesterday it was making progress restoring power to pockets of central and eastern Cuba, but warned the process would be slower in western parts of the island, which were hardest hit by the storm, reports Reuters.
Regional
Hurricane Rafael became the 17th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season this week — a season that has already surpassed the above average predictions set for it, Rafael being the 11th hurricane and fifth major hurricane of the season. (Guardian)
Mexico
The remains of 11 people, including two children, have been found inside a vehicle in Mexico’s violence besieged Chilpancingo, reports the BBC.
Authorities say the victims are part of the 17 family members missing in a Chilapa community, report El País.
Migration
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s promises to reduce immigration by narrowing legal pathways into the U.S. will push greater numbers of people to hire human smugglers, reports the Associated Press.
Regional Relations
Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum yesterday, who said the chat was “very cordial,” reports Animal Político.
Mexico must combine cold blood and intelligence to negotiate with Trump, said Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who will lead the USMC treaty revision in 2026. (La Jornada)
“Trump’s election victory is bad news for most of Latin America, but especially for Mexico,” writes Andrés Rozental in the Latin America Advisor. “Given Trump’s campaign emphasis on trade and immigration issues involving the region, as well as his apparent control of both houses of Congress and of the Supreme Court, the way is paved for him to implement many if not all of the threats he proffered during the last few months.”
Members of Trump's transition team reached out to Felix Maradiaga, a leading Nicaraguan opposition figure, yesterday, saying they want to unite exiled communities from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela, reports Reuters.
Haiti
Haitian activists called on other countries temporarily stop deportations to their country due to a surge in gang violence and deepening poverty. Tens of thousands of people have been deported to Haiti in the past month, mostly from the Dominican Republic, reports the Associated Press.
Costa Rica
Is Costa Rica’s criminal trajectory similar to Ecuador’s a few years back, asks InSight Crime: “A series of red flags point toward a worsening security outlook and have the authorities on edge.”
Bolivia
Bolivia’s political crisis, centered around Evo Morales, is multifaceted and increasingly violent, as the former leader seeks a political comeback amid allegations of sexual abuse. “Strategies of violence last seen during the November 2019 coup are now active in a multi-sided conflict with no obvious end in sight,” reports Nacla. (See Monday’s post.)
Bolivian authorities must thoroughly investigate violent attacks on journalists covering a wave of anti-government protests, including against reporter Jurgen Guzmán, the Committee to Protect Journalists said yesterday.
Peru
Peruvian police arrested the head of the country’s soccer federation as part of an investigation into allegations that he abused his position to extort local clubs into ceding their television rights, reports the Associated Press.
Argentina
A vaunted program targeting teen pregnancies has fallen under the ax of Argentine President Javier Milei’s austerity programs, reports the New York Times.
Chile
“Five years after the Satanic Temple of the United States made headlines — and unleashed a wave of panic — when it was designated a church, a similar organization in Chile, a conservative country where half of its population of 18 million identifies as Catholic, is asking the government to recognize them legally as a religious association,” reports the Associated Press.