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University of Sciences in Venezuela bombed

Laiguana.tv, 01/07/2026

Synopsis: The Mathematics Center of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), part of the Dr. Humberto Fernández-Morán National University of Sciences, was destroyed as a result of bombings carried out by U.S. military forces on January 3rd, as denounced by Foreign Minister Yván Gil, who shared the information posted by the Minister of Popular Power for Science and Technology, Gabriela Jiménez, on his Telegram channel.

The message details that the attack was total, causing material losses including computer equipment, as well as the devastation of spaces such as the Physics, Chemistry, and Ecology centers, and the Nuclear Technology Unit.

"Two missiles directly impacted the area, leaving fragments that demonstrate imperial hatred against Venezuela's sovereign technological development (...) These spaces, now devastated by the bombing, have been fundamental in training the professionals who sustain our health, engineering, and oil sovereignty," the post emphasizes. The message is also accompanied by a video showing the damage caused by imperialist attacks on this vital scientific and academic space.

It is characteristic of reactionary regimes to attack the knowledge and research of other states.

Back to the oil wars

National Geographic, 01/10/2026

Synopsis: The recent US attack on Venezuela has shaken international politics at the start of 2026. But beyond the political and geostrategic consequences, the event has highlighted the extent to which we continue to depend on this fossil fuel in the era of decarbonization.

"We're going to extract a tremendous amount of wealth from underground," Trump told reporters while celebrating Maduro's capture, alluding to the announced projects to exploit Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

According to data from the Oil & Gas Journal, Caracas has a storage capacity of approximately 303 billion barrels, followed by Saudi Arabia with about 267 billion, and, far behind, by Canada, the United States, and Russia, with 159 billion, 81 billion, and 80 billion barrels, respectively.

Venezuelan reserves are clearly underutilized. The country barely reaches one million barrels per day, a far cry from the record 3.7 million it harvested in 1997.

In this context, the United States wouldn't have it so easy to acquire Venezuelan crude. At least, the benefit wouldn't be so direct, given that it would first have to get to work making the deposit profitable. But does the United States really have a crude oil deficit? Let's see what the data says.

With fracking, the United States has become the world's leading oil-producing power. But on the other hand, all European countries, as well as Mexico and Australia, have opted for a clear decrease in crude oil production for almost a decade. The vast majority of G20 countries have reduced their production, albeit very moderately, with the exception of the United States, China, and Russia, three countries that account for more than 80% of global demand. Is that enough to justify intervening in Venezuela? Regardless of its political function, reality shows us that oil continues to have a geopolitical value that goes beyond its intrinsic worth… and beyond the health of the planet.

N.R. It is sad and worrying to see how this prestigious publication views wars over oil as logical and normal. What hope is there for the rest of us?

How climate change threatens our rights

Mundo de mujeres.mx, 12/21/2025

Synopsis: Environmental scientist Joyeeta Gupta explains how climate change is affecting the human rights of millions of people and highlights the need to attribute its effects and be able to demand action, including in the courts. It is becoming increasingly clear that climate change is not only an ecological collapse but also a human rights crisis.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, posed a question to the Human Rights Council: "Are we taking the necessary steps to protect people from climate chaos, safeguard their future, and manage natural resources in a way that respects human rights and the environment?"

His answer was very simple: we are not doing enough.

Professor Gupta stated that one of the shortcomings of the 1992 climate convention is that it never quantified the human toll. And when the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, the global consensus focused on limiting warming to 2°C, later acknowledging that 1.5°C was a safer target.

For small island states, even that 1.5°C, which they accepted due to the power imbalance, is too close to 2°C.

2025: The two sides of the environment in Latin America

DW, 12/30/2025

Synopsis: With temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius, several Latin American countries are bidding farewell to 2025 with a heat wave, a year that began with Donald Trump's return to the US presidency. This event has shaped global environmental policies throughout the year.

"The world has gone from being globalized to polarized, from trade integration to commercial confrontation, and the extreme right, which denies climate change and opposes the Sustainable Development Goals, is growing in all regions," laments Manuel Pulgar Vidal, leader of the Global Climate and Energy Practice at WWF International, a UN agency.

"The world has gone from being globalized to polarized, from trade integration to commercial confrontation, and the extreme right, which denies climate change and opposes the Sustainable Development Goals, is growing in all regions." Chile, Colombia, and Brazil have shone on the international environmental agenda, hosting the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought last June, World Cities Day last October, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in November, respectively.

Despite the failure of the latter, the upcoming international conference dedicated to phasing out fossil fuels, scheduled for April in Colombia, keeps this issue alive.

Furthermore, in 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights decided to recognize the climate crisis as a central human rights issue. Unfortunately, Latin America and the Caribbean will have to confront a trend that began this year: "The dismantling of Ministries of the Environment in many countries of the region," warns Pulgar-Vidal, citing the cases of Argentina, Ecuador, and Bolivia. "Unfortunately, the progress achieved at a COP can evaporate with a change of government," "The reduction of technical capacities, the closure of environmental programs, and the criminalization of environmental defenders remain an open wound in the region,"

Added to this is the extractive model. "Many countries in the region continue to rely on economies based on mining, hydrocarbons, or extensive agribusiness, sometimes even invoking the energy transition as justification," criticizes the UNEP consultant, who also acknowledges "the political collapse of the global agreement on plastics." The erosion of civic power, with the limitations placed on the actions of NGOs, is another issue that could continue in 2026, warns Pulgar-Vidal.

"He ended the war on saturated fats": Robert Kennedy Jr. offers unusual praise for Trump

RT, 01/14/2026

Synopsis: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that President Donald Trump had ended the war on saturated fats.

Previously, the Secretary of Health and Human Services released new dietary guidelines that overhaul the traditional food pyramid to emphasize whole-fat dairy, protein, and healthy fats. At the time, he stated that the country was now ending "the war on saturated fats."

N.R. The decline of our planet is progressing rapidly. Today, it's the turn of saturated fats, which, according to all studies, are responsible for the increase in heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity, liver disease, cancer, etc.

Toxic cereals in the EU: eternal chemicals for breakfast

DW, 01/08/2026

Synopsis: A report by PAN Europe states that TFA, a dangerous chemical linked to health risks, has been detected in cereal samples from 16 EU countries.

To this end, 66 cereal products from 16 European countries were analyzed: 54 samples had high levels of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a substance that dissolves in water and is therefore carried by rainwater and wastewater, posing a health threat.

TFA belongs to the PFAS group, a group of more than 10,000 chemicals produced in the automotive, paper, metallurgical, chemical, and plastics industries, and is also found in various pesticides and refrigerants. Their residues are almost everywhere in nature, permanently contaminating water, soil, air, and food, to the point that almost everyone has PFAS in their blood, which can damage the immune system, cause diabetes, reduce fertility, and affect the development of newborns. They are also suspected of causing cancer. In the current recent study, wheat was contaminated with TFAs at levels over 100 times higher than tap water.

TPA contamination has been detected primarily in conventionally grown cereals, at more than twice the levels found in organic products.

Why is there still so much plastic?

DW, 01/02/2026

Synopsis: In 2021, the European Union (EU) officially banned and phased out single-use plastics due to their toxicity. However, straws, cutlery, and polystyrene containers continue to appear at takeaway counters, cafes, and restaurants across Europe.

Plastic can release harmful chemicals and microparticles that enter the environment and the human body, potentially increasing the risk of serious illnesses such as cancer and infertility.

Despite the ban, for example, nearly 70% of takeaway restaurants surveyed in Berlin still offer banned plastic items, according to a survey by the NGO Environmental Action Germany (DUH).

More than 400 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year-about 50 kilograms per person. With production on the rise and largely ineffective global regulations, researchers warn that the problem will continue to worsen.

Plastic Everywhere

One theory attributes the persistence of single-use plastic after the EU ban to surpluses accumulated during the pandemic. At the peak of lockdowns in 2020, takeout orders skyrocketed as restaurants closed or people avoided eating out.

But experts like Britta Schautz say the most likely cause is non-compliance by retailers and food businesses due to higher costs.

Other countries have gone further. Kenya banned plastic bags in 2017 with fines of up to $31,000-or up to four years in prison. Worldwide, at least 90 countries have introduced some form of plastic ban.

A 2025 study in the United States-where some states even veto any legislation on plastics-concluded that broad bans, at the national or regional level, are the most effective.

US orders Spain to keep coal-fired power plants banned because they "save lives"

El Liberal, 29/12/2025

Synopsis: On December 24, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order to keep coal-fired power plants in Indiana open. Energy Secretary Chris Wright emphasized the need for access to "affordable, reliable, and safe electricity heading into the winter months" and criticized the use of renewable energy sources in such situations.

"The Trump Administration remains committed to rapidly deploying all available tools and powers to safeguard the reliability, affordability, and security of the nation's energy system. Keeping these coal-fired plants operational has the potential to save lives and is simply common sense. Americans deserve a reliable electricity supply, regardless of whether the wind blows or the sun shines during extreme winter conditions," Wright stated.

US President Donald Trump, correcting a girl's answer, stated that "coal is clean and precious," and Secretary Wright, in a report, stated: "The United States cannot afford to continue down the unstable and dangerous path of energy depletion pursued by previous leaders, forcing the closure of baseload power sources such as coal and natural gas."

"In the coming years, America's reindustrialization and the race for artificial intelligence will require a significantly larger supply of constant, reliable, and uninterrupted energy, supporting all forms of energy that are affordable, reliable, and secure."

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated in a study that coal "is the single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions globally."

N.R. If anyone had any doubts about why the United States is carrying out military aggression against Venezuela, there's your answer.

Petrobras suspends drilling in the Foz do Amazonas basin after fluid leak

Folha de S. Paulo, 01/07/2026

Synopsis: Drilling in Block 59 in the Foz do Amazonas basin experienced a leak, and oil exploration activities in the area were temporarily suspended by Petrobras. The incident involved a fluid injected during the operation of the drilling rig into two auxiliary lines (pipes), and it was not an oil spill.

Petrobras estimates that approximately 15 m³ (15,000 liters) of the product spilled into the sea and notified Ibama (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources). Ibama reported that it is monitoring the situation and that "the causes [of the incident] are being investigated."

The agency authorized the drilling of the well in Foz do Amazonas in October 2025, after years of disputes surrounding the license.

A new marine protection treaty comes into force

IPS, 01/16/2026

Synopsis: The international agreement to protect marine life in international waters and on the seabed, known as the High Seas Treaty, will enter into force on January 17, after two decades of initiatives and debates promoted by the world organization to adopt a legally binding treaty.

"As we face the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, this agreement is a lifeline for the ocean and humanity," said UN Secretary-General Guterres.

So far, 84 countries have signed it, but Australia, the United States, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia, as well as some countries in our region, among others, have not yet ratified it.

Biodiversity on the High Seas is affected by the impact of human activity: destructive fishing practices-bottom trawling-and illegal fishing, pollution from plastics and chemicals, noise, shipping, and seabed mining. Ocean acidification and warming due to the climate crisis are also contributing factors.

It is a legally binding ocean instrument that envisions inclusive ocean governance and is designed to transform the "high seas" and the international seabed into an environment that is sustainably managed for the benefit of all humanity, not just states or corporations with the capacity and resources to exploit those resources.

N.R However, it has crucial gaps that need to be addressed, such as the lack of regulations for deep-sea mining (a major source of marine pollution and destruction), and it will not, on its own, prevent the start of deep-sea mining in the ocean. Therefore, continued pressure is needed to achieve this.

2025: Another year of record ocean temperatures

OMM, 01/14/2025

Synopsis: The average surface temperature of the oceans in 2025 was 1.44°C higher than the average for the period 1850-1900, according to an analysis by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 2025 ended as the third warmest year on record, despite the warming effect of La Niña, and only surpassed by 2023 and 2024, the warmest years to date.

American scientist John Abraham pointed out that "to know what is happening with the climate, the answer lies in the ocean," since it is there that approximately 90% of the excess heat generated by global warming is stored, according to the WMO. Therefore, ocean heat is a crucial indicator of climate change.

Furthermore, a group of scientists led by Lijing Cheng of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a study published in the academic journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, indicated that global ocean heat content (OHC) in the upper 2,000 meters increased by approximately 23 zettajoules compared to 2024. To put this into perspective, it corresponds to approximately 200 times the total global electricity generation in 2024.

"The main way the ocean continues to influence the climate is through the concomitant increase in water vapor in the atmosphere, which causes harmful increases in extremes in the hydrological cycle," noted Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research.

This water vapor, Trenberth reminded, is also a potent greenhouse gas, which in turn contributes to desiccation, the risk of droughts, and wildfires.

A warmer ocean, Annalisa Bracco, professor of Ocean Dynamics and Climate at the Georgia Institute of Technology (United States), recalled at the time, can also enhance hurricanes and torrential rains, while deteriorating the health of coastal marine areas and marine life, such as coral reefs that suffered the greatest bleaching on record during 2024.

The Arctic is approaching a critical point: record melting, "rusty" rivers, and a tundra turning green.

Noticias ONU, 12/18/2025

Synopsis: Climate change is making the Arctic unrecognizable.

According to the Arctic Report Card 2025, a report endorsed by 112 scientists from 13 countries, the Arctic is warming at a breakneck pace, transforming its icy landscape into a warmer, wetter, and more unpredictable environment, negatively impacting the entire planet.

The report documents historic ice losses. Glaciers in the Scandinavian Arctic and Svalbard suffered the largest net annual ice loss ever recorded between 2023 and 2024.

The Greenland Ice Sheet lost 129 billion tons of ice in 2025, confirming a long-term trend of net loss. In Alaska, glaciers have lost an average of 38 meters of vertical thickness since the mid-20th century.

This glacial retreat remains a key driver of sea-level rise, with increased risks of flooding, landslides, and tsunamis impacting people, infrastructure, and coastlines.

The report highlights an apparent paradox: while snow accumulation is greater in winter, from June onward, due to the heat, the extent of snow cover fell below normal levels. It is approximately half of what was recorded six decades ago, a clear sign of a structural change in the Arctic climate system.

Rivers that are "oxidizing" and turning orange

The "greening of the Arctic" has far-reaching effects on ecosystems, permafrost conditions, and the livelihoods of Arctic populations, as well as influencing the global carbon cycle and the planet's climate.

"Record heat, record lows in sea ice, retreating glaciers, continued ocean warming, and unprecedented extreme events are redefining this region," the report states.

The final warning is unequivocal: what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic. Changes in the fastest-warming region on the planet are already influencing the global climate system, the oceans, and environmental stability worldwide.

Argentina bids farewell to 2025 with extreme heat across much of the country and a blackout in the capital

Últimas Noticias, 01/01/2026

Synopsis: High temperatures have been affecting the north and central regions of the country since last Monday, with readings reaching a high of 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday in the city of Santa Rosa, in the province of La Pampa (central Argentina).

Higher temperatures are forecast, and the National Meteorological Service maintains an orange alert for the capital city of Argentina and its surrounding metropolitan area, as well as for the province of Entre Ríos (northeast), due to the moderate to high health risk.

Meanwhile, a yellow alert (low to moderate risk) is in effect for provinces in the central and northern parts of the country, and even for the southern province of Santa Cruz.

Authorities in several districts have asked the population to take extra precautions due to the high temperatures.

In the Argentine capital, where emergency medical services had to assist 200 people suffering from heatstroke on Tuesday, medical, fire, and civil defense teams have been reinforced to respond to any emergencies.