Postcard from Central America - Newsletter #97

What can possibly go wrong?

On Wednesday June 14, the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean reached an average temperature of?73 degrees Fahrenheit.?

That may sound like a pleasant day at the pool, but it’s actually a record high, and it will have global consequences. The average for this time of year, over the past three decades, is 71 degrees Fahrenheit. That two-degree difference reflects a gargantuan amount of extra energy stored in the ocean. The Atlantic has been riding a wave of?extreme heat since last year. And as summer sets in, the temperature will climb.

Greenwashing tested in court

At the center of the suit is the airline’s claim to carbon neutrality, which rests in part on its?use of carbon offsets. The goal of an offset is to essentially cancel out carbon emissions by funding projects that either absorb CO2 or prevent carbon emissions in the first place. Several?investigations?have exposed issues with the market for carbon offsets, and the suit against Delta claims the airline overstated or miscalculated the benefits of the projects it supports.?

Doing the right thing in Honduras can cost you your life

Honduras is considered one of the world’s most dangerous countries for environmental activists. One of its most infamous cases was the 2016 murder of Berta Cáceres, who was protesting a hydroelectric project.

Status quo: 1 - Accountability: 0

A Guatemalan tribunal sentenced newspaper founder José Rubén Zamora to six years in prison Wednesday in a money laundering case, concluding a trial that press freedom groups decried as a political persecution aimed at silencing a critical voice.

A book about the most egregious human rights violations by a developed country in the 21st century

The separation of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border has always caused?Isabel Allende?pain: When she saw it during the Trump administration, her first impulse was to help reunify children and parents through her foundation. Then, the?legendary Chilean author?thought, she had to write a book.

The state of our civilization in 2023!

Greek authorities have confirmed 78 deaths and said 104 survivors – mostly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan – had been brought ashore, but police believe as many as 500 are missing, with witnesses saying up to 100 children were in the ship’s hold.