Central America

U.S. grain handlers and farmers had 13% less corn stored ahead of the fall harvest than they did a year ago, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday. However, a record crop is expected to replenish stocks. Low prices have boosted exports this year in the top corn-supplying country in the world, reducing stocks in storage but also making it hard for farmers to make a profit, at a time where costs for fertilizer and seed, among other things, are increasing. In a quarterly report, the USDA stated that as of September 1 there were...

According to a study that highlights extreme weather risks, the 2026 World Cup in North America could be its last without urgent climate adaption. The "Pitches in Peril Report" found that 10 out of 16 venues were at a very high risk for extreme heat stress. By 2050, 90% of North America's stadiums will need to be adapted to extreme heat and a third will have a water shortage or demand that is equal to or greater than the supply. The report examined the effects of climate change on grassroots soccer fields that were once used by 18 legendary players....

Mezcal sales for small farmers fell by 80% in the past year Mezcal producers are underpaid by the middlemen Monoculture and pollution are harmful to biodiversity By Diana Baptista Ramirez is a 32-year-old third generation expert mezcal producer, or "palenquera", and the first female in her family who has worked in the industry. She had to overcome patriarchal standards that previously did not permit women to be involved in mezcal manufacturing. She and other farmers now face falling mezcal price. The growing international demand has allowed Palenqueras such as Ramirez, who cut, fermented and distilled the agave plants with expert...

Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would spend up to 750 million dollars to build an facility in Texas to produce sterile flies for fighting the flesh-eating pest New World screwworm. The plan reflects growing concerns about the possibility of screwworms, a parasitic fly which eats animals and wildlife alive while they are still alive, infesting U.S. beef cattle, after the pest has moved from Mexico to the north, toward the U.S.-Mexico border. A cattle shortage in the United States could increase beef prices to record levels. At a press conference with Rollins, Texas...

Baldio is a vine-covered restaurant in Mexico City’s trendy Condesa district. In English, it means barren. The zero-waste concept has made it a popular restaurant. This means that all leftovers and scraps of food are reused. Since it received a Michelin Green Star in June for its innovative sustainability concept, the restaurant that opened in 2024, seats 52, is regularly packed. Baldio owners claim it's the first zero waste restaurant in Mexico City. Baldio serves gourmet Mexican cuisine, including yellow corn tamal, Mexican sweet corn salad, cured buffalo meat and smoked butter sauce, as well as grilled sweet onions, grasshoppers,...

His office announced on Wednesday that the Dominican Republic’s Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez, along with top Mexican officials, have proposed a bi-lateral roundtable to discuss the environmental impact of sargassum on both countries' Caribbean coasts. Why it's important As mountains of pungent decomposing sargassum pile up on Caribbean coastlines, hotel workers struggle to keep the beaches clean. This releases irritant gasses, which smother marine ecosystems, and lowers occupancy rates in seaside resorts. CONTEXT Atlantic sargassum, a type algae, has increased dramatically over the last decade. This is due to nutrient pollution, which was exacerbated by the deforestation of the oceans...

Multilateral bank executives stated on Tuesday that Latin American countries must address regulatory barriers, improve electric interconnection and enhance project structuring for renewable energy to attract the $200 billion investment needed annually to make the energy transformation a reality. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) organized an event in Colombia’s capital Bogota, where executives spoke. Why it's important Energy infrastructure investments in the region are below global averages. This could make it difficult for it to achieve its climate and energy targets. KEY QUOTES Felix Fernandez is the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the New World Screwworm, a livestock pest that eats flesh, has moved closer to the U.S.-Mexico border. Washington blocked imports of Mexican calves just days after allowing them to resume at an Arizona port of entry. Screwworms are parasitic fly larvae that lay their eggs in the wounds of warm-blooded mammals, such as livestock and wild animals. The larvae of the screwworm burrow into living flesh with their sharp teeth once they hatch. If left untreated, these larvae can kill their hosts. The USDA announced late Wednesday that Mexico reported a case of...

FIFPRO, the global players' union, is investigating whether increasing halftime from 20 minutes to 20 minutes or introducing more cooling breaks can better protect players against extreme heat. Nine of the sixteen host cities of the 2026 World Cup are at "extreme" risk for heat-related illnesses. Atlanta, Boston Dallas, Guadalajara Houston, Kansas City Miami Monterrey, Philadelphia, and other cities are likely to experience dangerously high temperatures and humidity. This could pose a threat to player safety and lead some to call for cooling aids and schedule changes. FIFPRO's assessments of heat risk are based upon wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGT),...

Hearings held by the Worker Safety Agency for the first national standard In the U.S., 69 millions people are at risk from extreme heat. States and cities fill in gaps left by federal regulations By Carey L. Biron She said that her father had suffered a heat stroke 10 years ago but still needed his construction job, despite the scorching temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona. "Everyday he leaves for the office is a day that we hope we won't get the same call - anxiety, despair, and worried that he wouldn't pass out again on the job," Moreno Dominguez, 24, said....

The soaring temperatures of this year's Club World Cup has raised concerns about the afternoon kickoff time at the 2026 World Cup. This is because the expanded tournament poses challenges to the organisers. In a heatwave that swept the United States, Borussia Dortmund's players faced South Korea's Ulsan on Wednesday in Cincinnati. The temperatures were over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.22degC), with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. The players took advantage of FIFA’s cooling breaks every half-hour at matches this week, while Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told reporters that it was "impossible to organize regular training sessions" in Philadelphia’s sweltering afternoons....

Hurricane Erick has weakened since it slammed into Mexico's south Pacific coast on Thursday as a major storm. It left behind a trail that included damaged businesses, wrecked vessels and flooded streets, as authorities warned about the dangers of heavy rain. Erick, a Category 3 Hurricane, made landfall in the area of Puerto Escondido at around 5:30 am local time (1130 GMT). Later, it was downgraded to Category 1, as the storm moved inland. The sustained winds slowed to 85 mph (137 km/h). In coastal towns, residents began clearing debris. Eduardo Gonzalez, a fisherman in Puerto Escondido, said that there...

According to a court filing, an agreement reached with environmental groups will allow the Trump administration to delay the final rule by two years. The rule would protect the endangered Rice's Whale in the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas drilling area. The National Marine Fisheries Service of the U.S. Commerce Department and the green group Natural Resources Defense Council have agreed to give the government agency until 15 July 2027 to finalize the geographical area that is considered critical to the survival of the Rice’s whale. The agreement was filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of...

New Zealand signed a trade offer on Saturday with Switzerland, Costa Rica and Iceland to eliminate tariffs on numerous sustainable goods and services, in a relocation Wellington says will boost the country's export sector. The Arrangement on Climate Modification, Trade and Sustainability ( ACCTS) was signed at a ceremony during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Peru on Saturday after being struck in July, Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay stated in a statement. This contract gets rid of tariffs on key exports including 45 wood and wool items-- 2 sectors that are crucial to achieving our goal of doubling...

World leaders are heading to South America for twin tops this month, with one major theme dominating: Donald Trump 2.0. Peru is the very first stop, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) online forum on Nov. 13-15, followed by a Group of 20 (G20) prominent economies meeting in Brazil on Nov. 18-19. A. busy month of worldwide summits has likewise seen the COP29 climate. change conference in Azerbaijan. For leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, APEC on Thursday. will be the first time they have collected considering that the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, which ended in triumph for Republican. Trump,...

El Salvador has sealed a. newstyle debt buyback deal where savings produced will be used. to fund preservation of the country's primary river and its. watershed. The deal, worth over $1 billion, will raise cash to fund. preservation and water security in the Lempa River watershed. It marks the first time a nation has actually embedded watershed. conservation and water security promises into a debt buyback,. officials say, and belongs to efforts by the Central American. country's federal government to reduce its heavy external debt. problem. It is the largest funding commitment a country has produced. preservation as part of...

After already battering Mexico's southern coast, a strengthening Hurricane John moved back into the Pacific Ocean but is anticipated to again knock into the Mexican mainland on Wednesday night, according to the U.S. National Cyclone Center. John first made landfall on Monday at significant cyclone strength, triggering flooding and landslides that crushed homes while leaving at least five dead. Its residues brought intense rains throughout a number of states, home to major ports and beach resorts, before enhancing once again. The ocean's surface area temperatures are favorable to feeding this storm, civil security meteorologist Fermin Damian Adame informed an interview,...

After already damaging Mexico's southern coast, a strengthening Hurricane John returned into the Pacific Ocean however is forecast to again slam into the Mexican mainland on Wednesday evening, according to the U.S. National Typhoon Center. John first made landfall on Monday at significant cyclone strength, setting off flooding and landslides that crushed homes while leaving a minimum of five dead. Its remnants brought extreme rains throughout several states, home to significant ports and beach resorts, before reinforcing again. The ocean's surface area temperatures agree with to feeding this storm, civil protection meteorologist Fermin Damian Adame told a press conference, anticipating...

Michoacan state, Mexico's avocado heartland, released an accreditation program on Wednesday aimed at assisting customers in the United States and other countries avoid those grown on unlawfully logged land. The stamp of approval will go to avocados that are grown where orchards are permitted and where the land has not been cleared illegally because 2018 or had a forest fire given that 2012. Avocado exports to the United States, the biggest consumer of Mexican avocados, have skyrocketed 48% given that 2019 and were worth $ 3 billion in 2015, according to U.S. trade data. Need for the fruit has added...

D rought and crop failure are a prevalent hazard in Guatemala where cravings and poor nutrition run rampant, especially in rural locations a truth that worldwide aid programs are attempting to curb. Employees from the U.N.'s World Food Program are aiming to train people in Guatemala's rural countryside on sustainable farming practices to assist combat poor nutrition. Guatemala straddles a region referred to as the Central American Dry Corridor where, over the past decade, dry spells have actually been longer and more extreme, and extreme weather events like typhoons have been causing prevalent damage. This puts families residing in the...

At least 30 people have passed away and thousands have been required to leave their homes as storms and heavy rainfall continue to lash Central America, according to local officials, with the continuous rainstorms flooding rivers, damaging homes, triggering landslides and cutting off whole neighborhoods. Salvadoran authorities on Friday said the death toll had now reached 19, among them six children, while over 3,000 people stay in short-lived shelters. We must save individuals's lives, Luis Amaya, who heads El Salvador's civil security firm, informed reporters Friday. Product products come and go, now we should focus on protecting lives. Guatemalan authorities...

Oil business worldwide last year burnt the most natural gas in five years while likewise increasing the strength of the extremely contaminating practice, a. World Bank report found on Thursday. With only six years left to meet a World Bank objective of. stopping regular flaring, the business burned off an approximated. 148 billion cubic meters of gas in 2023, up 7% from 2022 even as. crude oil production increased only 1% over the same time. Drilling for oil frequently yields natural gas too, and some. companies decide to flare, or burn, this gas rather of catching. and saving it, generally...

An extended dry spell in Mexico is set to once again hammer harvests this year, according to federal government quotes, as adverse weather could press the country to depend on more corn imports from the United States. Mexico's 18-month season ought to produce some 25.15 million metric lots of corn, according to a report presented by the agricultural ministry on Tuesday, consisting of 21.89 million lots of white corn, utilized to make crucial staples such as tortillas. While general production needs to fall 9%, white corn is expected down 10% on last season. Mexico primarily produces white corn, for which...

Mexico's Presidentelect Claudia Sheinbaum, an accomplished climate scientist, might struggle to fulfill her environmental pledges after she cruised to success, in part, on the popularity of a predecessor who doubled down on fossil fuels. Sheinbaum, chosen as Mexico's very first woman president by a. sweeping margin Sunday, inherits a country grappling daily with. climate change and ecological obstacles: pervasive dry spell,. a water crisis in the sprawling capital of Mexico City, and. widespread deforestation. The 61-year-old leftist leader, who became part of a United. Countries panel of climate researchers that received a Nobel Peace. Prize in 2007, has spoken about...