Activists and farmers’ groups opposed to genetically modified corn say they have won a court ruling that temporarily halts efforts by Monsanto and other multinational companies to introduce the seeds on a commercial scale in Mexico. The ruling comes early in the proceedings of a lawsuit filed in June by 53 individuals and 20 organizations asking the courts to ban transgenic corn in Mexico. Their collective action argues that transgenic corn presents a threat to human rights, specifically the right to biodiversity. The federal judge hearing the case ruled that Mexico’s environmental and agriculture ministries must suspend any activity related to analyzing or granting new permits for transgenic corn while the lawsuit is in the courts. “Under the law ruling collective actions, in any case...
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Ecuadorian environmental and indigenous groups are racing to collect signatures from 5% of the nation’s electorate—or 600,000 voters—within the next six months to trigger a binding referendum to prevent drilling in three oil fields in Yasuní National Park. The process of collecting signatures for a referendum, approved Sept 26 by the nation’s Constitutional Court, is aimed at forcing the government to forego its plans to drill in 200,000 hectares (490,000 acres) of exceptionally biodiverse Amazonian rainforest in Yasuní, which overlaps the territory of hunter-gatherer indigenous groups. President Rafael Correa had proposed in 2007 that the government refrain from drilling in the fragile area if the international community donated US$3.6 billion, or half the revenue from projected oil exploitation for renewable energy...
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Hoping to produce huge quantities of genetically modified corn seeds in Argentina, Monsanto finds itself in a showdown with environmental and civic groups that have prevented access to a site where the biotechnology giant is trying to build a massive plant for the purpose. Since Sept. 18, demonstrators have managed to block all five access points Monsanto created for trucks to enter the construction site in Córdoba province, prompting the company to suspend work on the project. They warn that continued expansion of monocrop agriculture based on the use of transgenic seed varieties will promote evermore intensive use of associated agrochemicals, threatening public health and the environment. The US$250 million plant, which had been expected to be complete sometime next year, is designed to...
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Uruguay’s decision this month to allow a massive pulp mill to boost output by 10% has rekindled longstanding controversy between Argentina and Uruguay over the potential for cross-border pollution from the giant plant. Pollution concerns began to peak when Uruguay in 2006 approved construction of the pulp mill in Fray Bentos, on the banks of the Uruguay River. Across the river in the Argentine city of Gualeguaychú, protestors repeatedly blocked traffic on a heavily travelled international bridge linking the two countries. Meanwhile, Argentina fought a losing battle in international fora to have the plant shut down. In an announcement this month, Uruguay said it is allowing the plant’s current owner, the Finnish company UPM, to boost its pulp production to 1.1 million tons from...
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