Andrei Netto

Andrei Netto

@andreinetto.bsky.social

Journalist @theguardian.com. Latin American and Caribbean editor / climate justice and more. Author of Bringing Down Gaddafi • PhD in Social Sciences. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/series/southern-frontlines Signal: thecorrespondent.13

4.1K followers1.1K following173 posts

A popular Brazilian federal MP and fierce opponent of Lula is already promising a “new impeachment” in 2027. Is he anticipating Lula’s re-election?

Brace for fierce challenges to the electoral process from the Bolsonaro family. They had been leading in the polls, but projections now suggest they will lose out.

Cuba is on the brink. After decades of US sanctions, the island is in its worst state since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with one in four Cubans having left within four years. As the humanitarian toll increases, the threat of state collapse becomes more imminent. Here's my report from Havana.

theguardian.com‘History will tell’: as US pressure grows, Cuba edges closer to collapse amid mass exodusDisillusioned with the revolution after 68 years of US sanctions and a shattered economy, one in four Cubans have left in four years. Can the regime, and country, survive the engulfing ‘polycrisis’?

Andrei Netto reposted

In Chile’s Atacama – the driest desert on Earth – copper & lithium mining are pushing ecosystems to the brink. Companies like BHP, Albemarle & Zaldívar now pump desalinated seawater inland, but Indigenous communities say the harm is done. 1/5

theguardian.comMining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done?In Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama desert, Indigenous people say desalination plants cannot counter the impact of intensive lithium and copper mining on local water sources
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In Chile’s Atacama – the driest desert on Earth – copper & lithium mining are pushing ecosystems to the brink. Companies like BHP, Albemarle & Zaldívar now pump desalinated seawater inland, but Indigenous communities say the harm is done. 1/5

theguardian.comMining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done?In Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama desert, Indigenous people say desalination plants cannot counter the impact of intensive lithium and copper mining on local water sources

While desalinated water now makes up ~30% of mining water, it's energy intensive and harmful to marine life due to brine discharge. Most desal plants rely on Chile's fossil-fuel grid – not yet a climate-friendly solution. 3/5

“We don’t want contact because you are bad” – Uncontacted peoples in the Peruvian Amazon are sounding the alarm as illegal loggers close in on their land. A powerful report by @guardian from deep in the rainforest.

theguardian.com‘We don’t want contact because you are bad’: loggers close in on uncontacted people in Peruvian AmazonLogging, drug trafficking and the climate crisis endanger the world’s largest isolated Indigenous group, on the border with Brazil

In Minaçu, Brazil — historically home to the Americas’ last asbestos mine — miners are pivoting to something far more vital: rare earth minerals (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium) used in EV motors, wind turbines & defence tech.

theguardian.comBrazil’s last asbestos miners are switching to rare earth minerals. Can they offer a brighter future?The small city of Minaçu is hoping to challenge China’s dominance in servicing the global appetite for minerals key to the green energy transition
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In Minaçu, Brazil — historically home to the Americas’ last asbestos mine — miners are pivoting to something far more vital: rare earth minerals (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium) used in EV motors, wind turbines & defence tech.

theguardian.comBrazil’s last asbestos miners are switching to rare earth minerals. Can they offer a brighter future?The small city of Minaçu is hoping to challenge China’s dominance in servicing the global appetite for minerals key to the green energy transition

China currently controls ~90% of the global essential rare earth separation market. But Minaçu and Brazil hold the world’s second-largest reserves, and are ramping up production to challenge that dominance.

“The lesson of 1933 is – you get out sooner rather than later.” Marci Shore — a professor of fascism at Yale — has moved to Canada, warning that recent U.S. moves by Trump echo early fascist signs. What a chilling reminder that any society can sink if we ignore history.

theguardian.comWhy a professor of fascism left the US: ‘The lesson of 1933 is – you get out’Marci Shore made news around the world when her family moved to Canada. She discusses Trump, teaching history and how terror atomises society

Europe is reportedly supplying Israel’s canine unit with attack-trained dogs linked to horrific incidents, including a 3-year-old mauling, a pregnant woman’s miscarriage and over 146 documented attacks in Gaza/the West Bank. Human rights groups urge EU regulation. Full story @theguardian.com

theguardian.comAttack dogs: how Europe supplies Israel with brutal canine weaponsMilitary dogs involved in attacks on Palestinian civilians – including children – are likely to have been exported from European countries, investigation finds

Deep in Peru's Andes, a deadly battle over gold is unfolding. As prices soar above $3,000/oz, small miners, major firms, and armed gangs clash in a labyrinth of 450 tunnels. Thirteen security guards were recently tortured and killed, prompting a state of emergency. @theguardian.com

theguardian.com‘Scratch the earth, there’s gold!’: Small miners, big firms and armed gangs fight over Peru’s mineral wealthAs the price of the precious metal soars to record levels, underground gunfights have erupted in the Andean region of Pataz as the mines’ riches draw in brutal crime cartels

"We are witnessing ecocide." A new investigation reveals that Santander has financed companies linked to deforestation in the Gran Chaco, South America's second-largest forest, where Indigenous communities and biodiversity are under threat.

theguardian.com‘We are witnessing ecocide’: Santander accused of funding vast deforestationIn 2024, Spanish bank provided more than $600m in financing to firms linked to beef, palm oil, soya and supply chains driving deforestation, says Global Witness

Nas favelas do Rio, as memórias de rios e córregos limpos e natureza abundante são uma ferramenta para estimular a resiliência climática de populações desfavorecidas. Uma mostra na favela da Maré demonstra como a memória comunitária pode estimular a justiça ambiental.

theguardian.comHow memories of clean water, frogs and fresh air could help save Rio’s favelas from future climate disasterA new exhibition in the Brazilian city looks at how water, the environment and extreme weather is interwoven with personal stories from 10 marginalised communities

Blood timber: illegal logging in Colombia's Chocó rainforest is not just an environmental crisis—it's fueling armed conflict and modern slavery. A new Guardian report reveals how uncertified hardwood ends up in Western homes, financing paramilitaries and exploiting workers.

theguardian.com‘Blood timber’: western firms fuel conflict and ‘slavery’ in ColombiaTrade in uncertified hardwood illegally logged in Chocó rainforest and imported by US and Europe is financing paramilitaries, says Environmental Investigation Agency

Colombia’s emerald capital, Muzo, is grappling with the environmental toll of its industry. Mining activities have led to deforestation, water pollution and soil erosion, with a growing call for sustainable practices to protect the environment and ensure the well-being of future generations.

theguardian.comLosing its sparkle: Colombia’s emerald capital weighs the cost of its precious stonesAs big companies and informal miners blame each other for the damage to rivers and forests, mining risks long-term harm to those living nearby

Pablo López Alavez, a Mexican environmental defender, has spent over 14 years in prison for a murder he insists he did not commit. The UN has condemned his detention as arbitrary, citing due process violations and suggesting it is retaliation for his activism. @theguardian.com Southern Frontlines

theguardian.comHe fought to stop the forest being felled. The price was 30 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commitThe UN has called the detention of Pablo López Alavez ‘arbitrary’, while human rights organisations say his sentence is part of a systematic and alarming pattern of criminalisation of Mexico’s environ...