Today’s Video – Sister Dorothy

In honor of Earth Day this week we looked at a few videos on environmentalism in Latin America.  We conclude our brief look into that area with the following trailer to a 2008 documentary on the late nun and environmental activist Sister Dorothy Stang:

Stang was shot and killed in February 2005 after she received death threats from loggers and landowners. Following several appeals, a pair of local ranchers - Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura and Regivaldo Galvao - were each convicted to thirty years in prison for masterminding the murder of the 73-year-old.   Rayfran das Neves Sales, the man who confessed to assassinating Stang, was released from jail in 2013 after serving less than nine of his 27-year sentence.

Today’s Video: Melting Away

The latest edition of Earth Day was held on April 22nd with the theme of “The Face of Climate Change.”  While some strides have been made towards addressing global warming, the phenomena have been blamed for environmental problems in parts of the world.

Scientists have identified climate change as the main reason for the rapid melting of glaciers in several Latin America countries.  Such is the case in Peru where the nation’s eighteen mountain glaciers are vital to the region's water sources for drinking, irrigation and electricity.  The possibility that Peru’s glaciers could disappear over the next few decades has officials in Peru and the U.S. worried over the political ramifications of “millions and millions of hungry and thirsty” individuals. 

Peruvian communities have created innovative ways to prevent the shortage of water caused by the shrinking glaciers.  It remains to be seen if catching moisture from fogs and other measures will be sufficient to help Peruvians:

World Watch: Seeking change in Syria

* Syria: Security forces reportedly killed at least 49 people during nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

* Vatican: Pope Benedict XVI took on questions related to faith, mortality, and other subjects in a televised interview that aired on Good Friday.

* World: People in nearly 200 countries observed Earth Day, which was created in reaction to a 1969 oil spill off the California coast.

* Asia: Tensions rose between neighboring countries Thailand and Cambodia after four soldiers were killed in a disputed border region.

Image – AP via CSMonitor.com (“Syrian antigovernment protesters march during a demonstration following Friday prayers near Damascus, Syria, on April 22. Security forces fired live bullets and tear gas Friday at tens of thousands of people shouting for freedom and democracy in several areas across the country.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, Voice of America, The Telegraph, Bloomberg

World Watch: Terra

* World: The fortieth anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated worldwide on Thursday as organizers claimed that one billion people participated in diverse activities.

* U.S.: Eleven workers are missing after an oil rig exploded and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.

* Africa: According to UNICEF sixteen African countries are facing a measles outbreak that has so far killed 185 people.

* Thailand: Tensions remain high between anti-government protestors and police after several grenade attacks led to the deaths of at least three people.

Image – CBC
Online Sources- AP, BBC News, ABC News, MSNBC