Americas Now
Join us in uncovering the untold tales that influence our collective future in "Americas Now." Discover the richness, variety, and vitality of the Americas in a whole new way. Every story is a journey, and every journey is an adventure.
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When Being Poor Co-exists with Dangers
In the Caribbean and Latin America, 1 out of every 5 people are living in slums. These slums are also often referred to as "informal settlements" within cities. For a poverty-stricken population, the low cost of living in these neighborhoods and the chance to make a home, outweigh the dangers and...
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Mechatronic Reforestation could be a Weapon to Fight Climate Change
Brazilian entrepreneur, Marcelo Guimaraes, has invented what he claims is the fastest tree-planting machine on earth. Fast enough, he says, to realistically address climate change. His third-generation version of the planting machine, called Forest Bot, can plant multiple species of trees at a s...
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A relentless drought on the Colorado River
Northern Mexico and the west coast of the United States are suffering from an historic drought. The lack of rain is drying up reservoirs and rivers. Crops are suffering too, and there's one water source, farmers and scientists are really worried about- the Colorado River. Correspondent Xu Dezhi h...
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Repsol Oil Spill is Devastating Peru’s Delicate Ecosystems
In mid-January, 2022, an oil spill covered Peru’s coast just north of the capital Lima. Peru has called it “The worst environmental disaster in recent history.”
It happened when an oil tanker was discharging oil into the La Pampilla refinery controlled by the Spanish energy giant Repsol.
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Preserving the Mayan-Era Melipona Bee
Bees have been around for literally thousands of years, producing sweet honey but, more importantly, helping keep our planet sustainable.
In Guatemala, one particular species of the honey bee harks back to the time of the ancient Mayan civilization, more than three thousand years ago.
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Brazil’s efforts to Rethink Energy Models Have Sugar in Mind
Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest nation, and one of the world’s leaders in renewable energy. Nearly 12% of the planet’s freshwater flows in Brazil, so hydropower generates 61% of the country’s electricity. So, when climate phenomena like La Nina -a warming of the Pacific Ocean- are associated...
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Peru’s Marine Ecosystem is Under Threat
Peru has one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. A bountiful supply of Peruvian anchovy, known as anchoveta, makes it the world’s number one producer of fishmeal and fish oil. But in Chimbote, the city at the heart of the fishing industry, people say the industry pollutes the a...
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Fishing Villages in Honduras Displaced by Rising Sea Levels
A small fishing village in southern Honduras has become what many say is the epicenter of global warming in Latin America. The sea is eating away at the land, forcing hundreds of families to find new homes inland. The deforestation of mangrove trees has left shorelines exposed and prone to erosi...
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Panama's water problem
A century ago, the Panama Canal was an unparalleled feat of human engineering. Today, Panamanian authorities are facing new challenges posed by human-made climate change and the deforestation in the surrounding areas. Because of changing weather patterns and extreme precipitations and droughts, t...
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Chile struggles to become a hub for robotics and AI in South America
Chile is ahead of other countries in the region when it comes to its technology sector. Lately, it’s focus has turned to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase productivity, especially in the job sector.
The initiative has already spawned some fascinating new concepts. But digging deeper, yo...
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Thousands of migrants stranded in Mexico live a life of struggle
Migration has slowed down during the pandemic but it hasn’t stopped. Thousands of migrants from places as far away as Africa have stopped in a small town in Southern Mexico. It’s their temporary home as they try to figure out what to do next.
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Llamas give hope to scientists in the war against COVID-19
For thousands of years Llamas have played an important role in Andean life and culture. These relatives of camels have been used for transport, food, clothing, even companionship. Current scientific research suggests that antibodies found in llama’s blood could offer a defense against COVID-19.
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Horse plasma could hold a key to COVID-19 treatment
Many countries have approved the use of plasma from COVID-19 survivors as a treatment. But in Argentina scientists are looking into something else. They’ve developed a serum from antibodies produced by horses. It’s said to have the ability to reduce the severity of effects caused by the new disease.
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Brazil's Doctors Bracing for the Worse
We’ve seen them all over the world risking their lives trying to save other often putting their families at risk as well. Stephen Gibbs followed a medical doctor in Brazil to observe the “day-to-day" experiences of a front-line fighter during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Brazil’s Food Insecurity During COVID-19
Brazil is the world’s largest producer of beef, coffee and sugar. And it will soon become the top producer of soybeans. The rapid devaluation of the Brazilian real has made all these exports more attractive on the international market. But at the same time, food insecurity has increased.
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Business Education is Changing Guatemala’s Indigenous Lives
Approximately one million people are expected to fall into poverty this year in Guatemala, according to estimates revealed by the World Bank. Indigenous women are the most vulnerable as only one in 10 indigenous do paid work and they normally get paid less than men and non-indigenous women. Harr...
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Panama’s most well-known hat is originally from Ecuador
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A conversation with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria
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Alicia Barcena explains why 2020 will be a hard year for the Americas
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Chile reveals a serious failure in wealth distribution
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Latin America and the Olympic movement
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Indigenous communities fight HIV deep in the Peru's Amazon rainforest
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Latin Vox Machine: The sound of music in a home away from home
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A conversation about opportunities with a Champion of women
Costa Rica’s Epsy Campbell-Barr is proud of her roots.
As the first female Vice-President of African descent in the Americas, she leads an agenda of inclusion and opportunities in her country.
We sat down and spoke about her vision for the future and the challenges ahead.