Environmental Activists in Puerto Rico Face Severe Repression

Threatened, arrested, attacked, and shot, Puerto Rico’s environmental activists have endured a lot while trying to enforce the environmental protection laws they feel the government refuses to enforce. Still, most of them refuse to back down.

  • Jul 25, 2023
  • 1:34 PM

Fire in Paradise: Fighting Wildfires in Puerto Rico

As the effects of climate change intensify across the Caribbean, it will only lead to more extreme weather events that will in turn force Puerto Ricans out of the places they once considered “safe” and make many reconsider their life plans.

  • Jul 21, 2023
  • 1:33 PM

The Mirage of Puerto Rico’s Panoramic Route

The tour through the mountains offers Puerto Rico’s most emblematic natural views, while reflecting government abandonment, the slow pace of post-Hurricane María reconstruction, and the urgency of funds for a new management plan.

  • Jun 1, 2023
  • 12:30 PM

Reforesting Mangrove Trees Could Prove Key to Storm Defense in Puerto Rico

During the last few decades, illegal construction projects have encroached on Puerto Rico’s beautiful beaches, leading to the destruction of mangrove forests that protect the coastline from storms and rising sea levels.

  • Mar 20, 2023
  • 4:55 PM

Puerto Rico Activists Tear Down Wall Built Illegally on Beach

On Saturday, hundreds of activists flooded Playa Almendros in Rincón, Puerto Rico to complete the demolition of a wall that was illegally built too close to the beach by a condo developer.

  • Mar 6, 2023
  • 1:00 PM

Puerto Rico Activists Sue to Stop Construction; Govt Agency Orders Land Restoration

On Wednesday, Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources ordered a developer that built illegally built on top of Cueva Las Golondrinas in Aguadilla must restore the area impacted by the construction.

  • Mar 2, 2023
  • 4:37 PM

Eco-Anxiety Motivates Puerto Rico Activists to Defend Environment

With miles of beaches and lush rainforest, Puerto Rico is often touted as a paradise for vacationers. But for the people who live there, rampant development and the worsening effects of climate change have bred a sense of ecological anxiety that drives many to fight for the environment.

  • Feb 27, 2023
  • 1:39 PM

Judge Orders Demolition of Illegal Construction on Cave in Puerto Rico

A judge in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico has ordered the demolition of two illegal structures built on top of Cueva Las Golondrinas after ruling that the lawsuit filed by the municipality against Aguadilla Pier Corporation has merit.

  • Feb 13, 2023
  • 4:46 PM

Human Rights, Diaspora Groups Demand Investigation of Activist Shooting in Puerto Rico

Human rights groups and activists are demanding that Puerto Rican and U.S. authorities launch an investigation into the shooting of an environmental activist by private security personnel in the coastal town of Aguadilla on Sunday.

  • Feb 3, 2023
  • 1:21 PM

Puerto Ricans Set Up Encampments to Protest Environmental Destruction

Fed up with the slow government response, Puerto Ricans in beach towns along the western coast have set up encampments to demand action be taken to stop illegal construction from further destroying the environment.

  • Jan 6, 2023
  • 5:29 PM

Indigenous Site Blocked by Private Businesses in Puerto Rico — Again

On Thursday, private businesses used heavy machinery to block the public access path to Cueva del Indio, a Taíno historical site on Puerto Rico’s northern coast, which had been cleared by activists in mid-October.

  • Nov 4, 2022
  • 2:09 PM

Activists Tear Down Illegal Construction at Taíno Cultural Site

Faced with a slow response from the federal and local governments, activists took matters into their own hands on Sunday by tearing down illegal construction blocking the public entrance into the Cueva del Indio Taíno historical site.

  • Oct 11, 2022
  • 4:40 PM

Construction Permit Approvals for Coastal Projects Fast-Tracked During Pierluisi’s First Year

Far from slowing the pace of construction on Puerto Rico’s coasts to address climate change, as experts have requested, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi’s administration hit the accelerator to approve construction permits along the coasts.

  • Jan 28, 2022
  • 11:39 AM

New Evidence on Ash Toxicity in Puerto Rico Strengthens Call for Rally Against AES

A federal environmental agency refuses to hold public hearings in Puerto Rico on dangerous amendments to the regulations on coal waste management.

  • Aug 21, 2019
  • 8:33 AM

Poor Management of Water Sources Aggravates Impact of Drought in Caribbean

The situation, which also affects agriculture, threatens to escalate in the coming months due to the negligence by the three countries’ governments to lay down guidelines and maintain infrastructure.

  • Apr 24, 2019
  • 2:37 PM

Government of Puerto Rico Drained the Guajataca Dam at the Height of the Drought

A study of negligence in water management.

  • Apr 24, 2019
  • 10:03 AM

Puerto Rico Far From Having Plan to Face Climate Change

Thirteen years later, not much has happened.

  • Apr 17, 2018
  • 7:51 AM

Government Agencies Not Taking Action Against Dangers of Electric Generators in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has been smelling and breathing diesel ever since Hurricane María hit.

  • Nov 13, 2017
  • 3:21 PM

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