South America

Forests [6]

Planning & Growth [8]

Policy [9]

Region:

Indigenous Land Defender Killed As Ecuador Cracks Down on Activists [12]

"An Indigenous land defender was shot and killed on Sunday in Cotacachi, Ecuador, where he was marching in protest of high costs of living and government crackdowns on Indigenous and environmental activists."

Activism [13]

Military [16]

Public [3]

Source: Inside Climate News [18], 09/30/2025

Read more about Indigenous Land Defender Killed As Ecuador Cracks Down on Activists [12]

Brazil's JBS Accused Of Buying Cattle Illegally Raised In Indigenous Lands [19]

"JBS, the world's largest meat company, has indirectly bought cattle raised illegally on indigenous land in Brazil, according to a Greenpeace investigation released on Thursday."

Agriculture [20]

Food [21]

Laws & Regulations [22]

Public [3]

Source: Reuters [23], 09/26/2025

Read more about Brazil's JBS Accused Of Buying Cattle Illegally Raised In Indigenous Lands [19]

120 Environmental Defenders Killed Or Disappeared In Latin America Last Year [24]

"At least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or have gone missing around the world in 2024, with more than 80% of those cases in Latin America, according to a report released Wednesday by watchdog group Global Witness."

Activism [13]

Disasters [25]

Laws & Regulations [22]

Military [16]

Public [3]

Central America & the Caribbean [26]

Source: AP [27], 09/18/2025

Read more about 120 Environmental Defenders Killed Or Disappeared In Latin America Last Year [24]

Wind And Solar Power Over One-Third Of Brazil’s Electricity For First Time [28]

"Wind and solar power generated more than a third of Brazil’s electricity in August, the first month on record the two renewable sources have crossed that threshold, according to government data made public on Thursday and analyzed by energy think tank Ember."

Economy & Business [29]

Energy & Fuel [30]

Infrastructure [31]

Laws & Regulations [22]

Pollution [32]

Technology [33]

Public [3]

Source: AP [34], 09/16/2025

Read more about Wind And Solar Power Over One-Third Of Brazil’s Electricity For First Time [28]

COP30 — Why It Won’t Save the Planet [35]

Just under two months from the start of the annual global forum for managing climate change — the United Nations’ conference of parties beginning Nov. 10 in Belém, Brazil — our Backgrounder analysis laments the vanishingly small chance that nations will agree on managing steadily rising greenhouse gas emissions. A look at the obstacles, plus COP30 reporting challenges, from hotel expenses to diplomatic spin.

SEJ Publication Types:

Backgrounders [36]

Topics on the Beat:

Energy & Fuel [30]

Government [37]

Journalism & Media [38]

Policy [9]

Region:

National (U.S.) [39]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about COP30 — Why It Won’t Save the Planet [35]

September 19, 2025

Reporting the Amazon: Safety, Mental Health and Climate Accountability [40]

In this in-person, interactive roundtable event in NYC, co-organized by Mongabay, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists, Mongabay's award-winning reporter (and SEJ board member) Karla Mendes will be in conversation with the Committee to Protect Journalists on how to bridge local-to-global coverage on the road to COP30. 3:30 - 5 p.m. EDT.

SEJ Regional Conferences [41]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Topics on the Beat:

Forests [6]

Health [42]

Journalism & Media [38]

Region:

National (U.S.) [39]

Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [43]

Network Enables Indigenous People To Show Amazon Changes For Themselves [44]

"Deep in the Amazon, sound designer Eric Terena has been capturing the sounds of the rainforest while sitting silently beneath the dense, towering treetops with his recording equipment. He has noticed some huge changes."

Activism [13]

Biodiversity [45]

Environmental Studies [46]

Forests [6]

Journalism & Media [38]

Wildlife [47]

Public [3]

Source: The Conversation [48], 09/12/2025

Read more about Network Enables Indigenous People To Show Amazon Changes For Themselves [44]

Many Countries Are Saying No To ‘Unthinkable’ Room Costs For Climate Talks [49]

"Brazil brought the U.N.’s COP30 climate conference to the Amazon. Then the price frenzy began." "The idea had seemed symbolically fitting at first — a global climate summit set on the edge of the threatened Amazon rainforest."

Economy & Business [29]

Infrastructure [31]

Public [3]

Source: Washington Post [50], 09/11/2025

Read more about Many Countries Are Saying No To ‘Unthinkable’ Room Costs For Climate Talks [49]

"Scientists May Have Identified a Culprit Behind Declining Amazon Rains" [51]

"For decades, the dry season in the Amazon rainforest has been getting drier. A new study, published on Tuesday, found that about 75 percent of the decrease in rainfall is directly linked to deforestation."

Biodiversity [45]

Disasters [25]

Forests [6]

Water & Oceans [52]

Public [3]