Central America

When it rains, Victoria Lovato’s ranch in northern New Mexico is flooded by three muddy torrents. The torrents are the result of New Mexico’s largest wildfire ever that burned mountains above her property over three years ago. This type of post-wildfire flood is making Western United States homes unlivable, and destroying infrastructure like roads and water treatment facilities. Climate change causes blazes to burn larger areas at higher temperatures. Ranch dogs follow Lovato's GMC truck as she, Ismael, and their daughter Mia, 11, drive north through a high mountain valley that is ringed with torched trees following the Hermit's Peak...

The government announced Monday that the torrential rains which ravaged Mexico last week left 64 dead and 65 people missing. Landslides were triggered, power was cut in some municipalities, and rivers burst through their banks. Mexican authorities have sent thousands of personnel to clean up, evacuate and monitor the areas most affected by last week's rains in Gulf Coast states and Central States. Laura Velazquez is the national coordinator for civil protection. She said that Hidalgo, along with Veracruz was the worst affected state, with 29 fatalities and 18 missing persons reported in Veracruz and 21 deaths and 44 missing...

The government announced on Sunday that at least 44 people died in Mexico as a result of flooding and heavy rains. Tropical storms Priscilla, and Raymond brought torrential rains that triggered landslides in five states. A government statement stated that 18 people were killed in Veracruz, 16 in Hidalgo and nine in Puebla, with one person in Queretaro. The government of President Claudia Sheinbaum managed a response plan for 139 affected communities. The Mexican military posted photos of people being evacuated using liferafts. Homes were covered in mud, and rescue workers had to wade through waist-high water through the streets....

Authorities said that heavy rainfall in Mexico left at least 27 dead and many more missing. The downpours caused landslides and cut power to some municipalities, and rivers burst. Civil protection authorities of Hidalgo State reported 16 deaths, and that at least 1,000 homes as well as hundreds of schools were affected. Alejandro Armenta, the governor of Puebla State, said that at least nine deaths had occurred due to incidents like landslides. Another five people were reported missing. Authorities in Veracruz reported two additional deaths. In a recent post, President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that "we are working to help the...

Authorities in Mexico said that heavy rains in the country have left at least 21 dead and many more missing. The downpours caused landslides and cut power to some municipalities, and rivers burst. Civil protection authorities of Hidalgo State reported 16 deaths, and that at least 1,000 homes as well as hundreds of schools were affected. Alejandro Armenta, governor of Puebla State, said that at least three people died in landslides. Another five were reported missing. Veracruz authorities reported two additional deaths. In a recent post, President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that "we are working to help the population and open...

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...

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...