Ex-Leader of Bolivia Peasant Workers near San Cristbal Mine Says Company Lied About Water Pollution, Demands Pay for Vast Water Usage
22 Apr 2010
The Regional Federation of Peasant Workers of the South Altiplano (FRUCTAS) is a grassroots organization of community members from Nor Lpez province of the central Potos region of Bolivia. They are in the midst of a struggle against the Japanese trading giant Sumitomo Corporation, which owns the massive San Cristbal mine. We speak with Francisco Quisbert Salinas, the ex-leader of FRUCTAS. [includes rush transcript]

Bolivia Climate Conference Moves to Establish Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth
22 Apr 2010
One of the key initiatives of the climate conference in Bolivia is to come out with a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. We speak with South African environmental lawyer Cormac Cullinan, the co-president of the Rights of Mother Earth Working Group at the summit. He arrived at the climate change conference with a draft declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth that formed the basis of the discussion.

Bolivian Conservationist Calls for Preservation of Madidi Region, One of the Most Biodiverse Areas of World
22 Apr 2010
As Bolivian President Evo Morales is being celebrated internationally for hosting the World Peoples? Summit on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth, some Bolivian environmentalists and conservationists have questioned Morales’ domestic policies. In northern Bolivia, Morales has supported oil exploration and other development inside the Madidi National Park. The region is considered one of the most biodiverse areas on earth. On Thursday, I spoke with Rosa Mara Ruiz, who has worked in the Madidi region for decades and led efforts for the region to be protected.

Headlines for April 22, 2010
22 Apr 2010
11 Missing in Oil Rig Explosion off La. Coast, Senate Panel Advances Derivatives Regulation, Obama: Abortion Rights a Factor in Court Pick, But Not a “Litmus Test”, European Flights Resume Following Ash Closures, Pentagon: Iran Attack Not “Off the Table”, Trial Begins in Beating of Iraqi Prisoner, US to Withdraw Troops from Haiti, Israel Again Rejects Call for East Jerusalem Settlement Freeze, DC Council Abandons Incentives for Military Firm, Appeals Court Suspends Ruling Blocking ACORN Funding, Students Arrested Protesting Arizona Immigration Bill

Why Is the US Cutting Off Climate Aid to the Poorest Country in South America? – Bolivian Climate Negotiator Anglica Navarro
21 Apr 2010
The Obama administration has confirmed it?s denying climate aid to at least two countries that refused to sign onto last year?s Copenhagen environmental accord. The State Department has canceled funding of $3 million to Bolivia and $2.5 million to Ecuador. The funding was canceled at a time when Bolivia is losing its glaciers and suffering mass drought due to climate change. Bolivia’s lead climate negotiator Anglica Navarro calls on the developed world to pay a climate debt to poor nations suffering the impact of climate change.

“The World Is Changing in a More Progressive Way, and It’s Taking Place Here” – Boaventura de Sousa Santos on Bolivia Climate Summit
21 Apr 2010
Among the thousands of participants at the World Peoples’ Climate Conference in Cochabamba is Boaventura de Sousa Santos, an internationally respected scholar and one of the leading organizers of the World Social Forum. He is a professor of sociology at the University of Coimbra in Portugal and a distinguished legal scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“The Most Important Event in the Struggle Against Climate Change” – Nigerian Environmentalist Nnimmo Bassey on Bolivia Climate Conference
21 Apr 2010
Among those who spoke at the inauguration ceremony for the World Peoples’ Climate Conference was Nnimmo Bassey, the prominent Nigerian environmentalist and chair of Friends of the Earth International. By contrast, at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December, his group, along with several other mainstream environmental organizations, was barred from the talks. “Here you get a real sense that government wants to speak to people,” Bassey says. [includes rush transcript]

Evo Morales Opens Climate Change Conference in Tiquipaya
21 Apr 2010
As the peoples’ climate change talks here move into their third day, thousands of participants from across Latin America and around the world are streaming into this small Bolivian town to discuss how to slow the impact of global warming. Anjali Kamat and Rick Rowley file this report on Tuesday’s opening ceremony. [includes rush transcript]

Bolivian Indigenous Activists Call for End to Polluting Extractive Industries Inside Bolivia
21 Apr 2010
As the World Peoples’ Summit on Climate Change gets underway in Tiquipaya, an estimated 700 indigenous activists are continuing their occupation of a mining firm in the southeastern Bolivian province of Potosi. The Qulla people have blocked access to a key railway line from the San Cristbal silver-zinc-lead mine owned by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation. They say Sumitomo is contaminating their land and water with mine waste. We speak to two activists from CONAMAQ, the National Council of Ayllus and Markas of Qullasuyu. Erminia Colque and Gabino Apata Mamni want their concerns to be heard at the summit.

Headlines for April 21, 2010
21 Apr 2010
NATO Attack Kills 4 Afghan Civilians, Fmr. Argentine Junta Leader Sentenced to 25 Years, Iraq Accused of Torturing Sunnis at Secret Prison, Israeli FM Warns Against Peace Effort, Humanitarian Ships to Attempt New Breach of Gaza Blockade, Peoples’ Climate Summit Opens in Bolivia, Brazil Auctions Off Dam Project, Indigenous Groups Vow Resistance, Goldman Profits Increase; UK Regulators Open Probe, 6 Arrested in DC Protesting Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Supreme Court Overturns Law on Depicting Animal Cruelty, Evangelist Who Called Islam “Evil” Slated for Pentagon Event, Dorothy Height Dies at 98, Benjamin Hooks Dies at 85

Pat Mooney on the Dangers of Geoengineering and Manipulating the Planet to Combat Climate Change
20 Apr 2010
Supporters of geoengineering have proposed radical ways to alter the planet to decrease the level of greenhouse gas emissions. Proposals include creating artificial volcanoes to pollute the atmosphere with sulfur particles, fertilizing the oceans and placing sun-deflecting aluminum foil in the sky. But opposition is growing to geoengineering. Here at the World Peoples’ Summit on Climate Change in Bolivia, the ETC Group is launching an international campaign against geoengineering experiments. We speak with the group’s founder, Pat Mooney, a Right Livelihood Award winner.

Actress Q’orianka Kilcher on Climate Change Activism: Public Figures and Celebrities “Have a Responsibility to Help Give a Voice to the Voiceless”
20 Apr 2010
Thousands of indigenous groups, grassroots activists and environmentalists began streaming into the World Peoples? Summit on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth in Tiquipaya, Bolivia on Monday. Among them was the award-winning young Hollywood actress Q?orianka Kilcher. “I really believe, and love, the saying ‘there comes a time when silence is betrayal,’” Kilcher says. “As public figures and as celebrities, we have a responsibility to be able to help give a voice to the voiceless.”

As Protests Mount Against San Cristbal Silver Mine, Bolivia Looks to Extract Massive Lithium Reserves, But at What Cost?
20 Apr 2010
We look at why Bolivian miners have staged a major protest at the San Cristbal mine, one of the world’s largest silver mines. We speak to journalist Jean Friedman-Rudovsky about the protest and about lithium, one of the most important new energy sources. Bolivia?s lithium reserves are estimated to be the largest in the world. [includes rush transcript]

Bolivian Indigenous Activist: We Must Respect Mother Earth, Our Pachamama
20 Apr 2010
On Monday, the top US climate negotiator, Todd Stern, admitted that a binding agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions may not even be possible at the next UN climate summit scheduled for December in Cancun. Stern’s comments came after the US took part in the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington. While the United States and other nations met behind closed doors on Monday, a very different climate summit began here in Bolivia: the World Peoples? Summit on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth. We begin today’s show with Peregrina Kusse Viza, a member of the Bolivian indigenous group CONAMAQ. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for April 20, 2010
20 Apr 2010
China Earthquake Toll Passes 2,000, Air Travel Resumes in Europe Amidst New Ash Warning, US, Iraq Claim Killings of 2 Militant Leaders, Iran Bars 2 Opposition Parties, Brazilian Court Delays Dam Bidding for 2nd Time, New Zealand Signs UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights, Egyptian Official: Gov’t Forces Can Fire on Protesters, US Summons Syrian Diplomat over Weapons Allegations, ALBA Summit Coincides with Venezuelan Bicentennial, Citigroup Posts $4.4B Quarterly Profit, Goldman Hires Ex-Obama White House Counsel, Hundreds Mark 15th Anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing, Pro-Gun Rallies Held in DC, Virginia, Woman Killed, 2 Others Wounded in Tenn. Murder-Suicide Shooting, Report: Obama Taps White-Collar Attorney for Deputy Attorney General Post, Admin Subpoenaed in Ft. Hood Probe, Arizona Senate OKs Anti-Immigrant Measure, 56,000 Images Captured on Monitored Student Laptops at Pa. Schools

Bolivian UN Ambassador Pablo Solon on the World Peoples’ Summit on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth
19 Apr 2010
Today marks the start of the World Peoples’ Summit on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth here in Tiquipaya. Bolivian President Evo Morales called for the gathering to give the poor and the Global South an opportunity to respond to the failed climate talks in Copenhagen. We are joined now by Pablo Solon, Bolivia’s ambassador to the United Nations. Prior to his role in the government, Solon was a social activist who worked for several years with different social organizations, indigenous movements, workers? unions, student associations, human rights and cultural organizations in Bolivia. [includes rush transcript]

The Cochabamba Water Wars: Marcela Olivera Reflects on the Tenth Anniversary of the Popular Uprising Against Bechtel and the Privatization of the City’s Water Supply
19 Apr 2010
Ten years ago this month, the Bolivian city of Cochabamba was at the center of an epic fight over one of the city’s most vital natural resources: its own water. The Water Wars occurred just months after the Battle of Seattle. The uprising against Bechtel on the streets of Cochabamba was seen as the embodiment of the international struggle against corporate globalization. Over the past week, water activists from around the world gathered in Cochabamba to mark the tenth anniversary of the Water Wars.

Jim Shultz on “Dignity and Defiance: Stories from Bolivia’s Challenge to Globalization”
19 Apr 2010
Jim Shultz, founder of the Cochabamba-based Democracy Center, gives a snapshot of Bolivia ahead of the World Peoples’ Summit on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth. Ten years ago, Shultz helped expose the role of Bechtel in the privatization of Cochabamba’s water supply. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for April 19, 2010
19 Apr 2010
Goldman Sachs Accused of Civil Fraud in Sale of Mortgage Securities, NATO Killings of Afghan Civilians Increasing, Italian Aid Workers Freed Following Arrests, Scores Killed in Pakistan Attacks, Gates Acknowledges Iran Memo, Iran: US Should Destroy Nuclear Arsenal, Withdraw Mideast Troops, Ecuador to Increase State Control of Oil Production, Ash Grounds European Flights for 5th Day, Toyota Agrees to $16.4M Fine for Hiding Pedal Defects, Widow of Miner Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Massey, Group Challenges Revised Surveillance Law, Court Limits NSA Data Collection, 5 Ex-Blackwater Execs Charged in Weapons Case

Author Nikolas Kozloff on “No Rain in the Amazon: How South America’s Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet”
16 Apr 2010
Environmentalists and indigenous communities along the Amazon celebrated an important victory Thursday after a Brazilian judge suspended bidding on the construction of what is slated to be the third largest dam in the world. We speak to Nikolas Kozloff, author of the new book No Rain in the Amazon: How South America’s Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet. Kozloff argues that protecting the rainforests of the Amazon from environmental damage is not just crucial for the populations that live in and around it, but is a global necessity. [includes rush transcript]

Legal Defender Isabel Garcia: Arizona Bill Forcing Officers to Determine Immigration Status Marks “All-Out Assault” on Latino Communities
16 Apr 2010
Arizona lawmakers have approved what?s being described as the harshest anti-immigrant measure in the country, forcing police officers to determine the immigration status of someone they suspect of being an undocumented immigrant. Meanwhile, over fifty people were arrested Thursday in a federal immigration sweep targeting van operators allegedly involved in smuggling in undocumented migrants from Mexico. We speak to Isabel Garcia, co-chair of the Tuscon-based Coalition for Human Rights and legal defender of Pima County, Arizona. [includes rush transcript]

Obama’s New Space Exploration Plan Includes Major Role for Private Firms
16 Apr 2010
President Obama outlined his new space exploration policy on Thursday with a pledge to add $6 billion to NASA’s annual budget over the next five years and seek a landing on Mars by the mid-2030s. His program would also bolster support for private space companies that would handle design and construction of the spacecraft and boosters. We speak to Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation. [includes rush transcript]

Jailed Whistleblower: US Lawmakers Held Offshore UBS Accounts
16 Apr 2010
Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez discusses his interview with UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld one day after Birkenfield’s Tax Day clemency request to President Obama. Birkenfeld is serving a forty-month sentence despite playing a key role in exposing the biggest tax evasion scheme in US history. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for April 16, 2010
16 Apr 2010
Afghan Prisoners Detail Torture, Abuse at Bagram Prison, Obama Signs Jobless Benefits Bill After Dems Overcome GOP Filibuster, US Extends Healthcare Rights to Partners of Gay Patients, Ex-NSA Official Indicted for Leaking Spy Program Details, Obama Orders Mine Inspections, Faults Owners of W. Va. Mine, Obama Outlines US Space Program , Report: Insurers Shifting Costs to Avoid Healthcare Laws, CIA Officials Expressed Concern over Interrogation Tapes, Tea Party Activists Cap Tour with Anti-Tax Rally, China Earthquake Toll Nears 800, UN Probe: Pakistani Gov’t Could Have Prevented Bhutto Killing, Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Disrupts Global Travel, Gates Backs US-Colombia Trade Pact, Gaza Inquiry Head Skips Grandson’s Bar Mitzvah to Avoid Protests from Right-Wing Jewish Groups

Author Nikolas Kozloff on “No Rain in the Amazon: How South America’s Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet”
16 Apr 2010
Environmentalists and indigenous communities along the Amazon celebrated an important victory Thursday after a Brazilian judge suspended bidding on the construction of what is slated to be the third largest dam in the world. We speak to Nikolas Kozloff, author of the new book No Rain in the Amazon: How South America’s Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet. Kozloff argues that protecting the rainforests of the Amazon from environmental damage is not just crucial for the populations that live in and around it, but is a global necessity.