News stories by Emilio Godoy* - Tierramérica

Mexico’s oases encompass significant environmental, cultural, social and economic wealth that must be properly assessed and preserved, warn experts.

The development of the green economy is the subject of pitched debate among specialists. While some believe it will deepen social inequalities and increase corporate control over natural and biological resources, others highlight its potential role in protecting the environment and creating employment.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in strong plastics, is banned in baby bottles in Canada and the European Union. But Mexico has made no move to outlaw it from plastic bottles or the lining of food cans, despite the threat to health.

The use of information technology in energy planning can contribute not only to developing renewable energy sources but also to moving towards a green economy.

Fatal outbreaks of food poisoning in the United States, Mexico and Europe expose the failure of regional and global initiatives to ensure that fruits and vegetables are safe and healthy.

Serious concerns about industrial livestock production in Mexico have been raised once again by recent controversies over the use of the non-steroidal anabolic clenbuterol and a feed medicine for poultry containing aresenic.

While Mexico played host to a meeting for the creation of a Green Climate Fund, doubts have been raised over whether the millions of dollars in financing the country has already received in recent years have been effectively implemented to combat global warming and its consequences.

One year after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst accidental offshore oil spill in history, the search for damages in Mexican territory remains inconclusive, while scientists continue gathering and testing samples.

Wearing rolled up trousers and a spattered shirt, Carlos Frías mixes mud, water and manure to prepare a row of red bricks.

Yandi Condado and a small group of farmers in the southern Mexican state of Puebla decided a few years ago to process their peanuts as an economic boost -- and to defend this traditional crop against the advances of more profitable options.