Steven Grattan

Here is my story on pink river dolphins, which provide a worrying indicator of mercury levels from illegal gold mining along the Amazon River.

I traveled to Ecuador’s Amazon with Indigenous women from seven different nationalities who fear new oil exploration could reach their territories. They visited long-exploited oil fields in the northern Amazon to see firsthand the environmental damage. apnews.com/article/climat…

This week, @AP colleague Steven Grattan takes a close look at environmental costs related to surging cold prices. Steven and others on AP's climate and Latin American teams have been covering this closely the last year. linkedin.com/pulse/gold-mer…

Illegal gold mining is spreading deeper into Peru’s Amazon, contaminating rivers with mercury and exposing Indigenous communities to serious health risks — even as authorities struggle to contain it. apnews.com/article/peru-i…

🇵🇪 #Fotorreportaje La huella de las mafias del oro y la madera en comunidades del río Santiago, en plena Amazonía peruana, es devastadora. Las imágenes revelan cómo la violencia, la criminalidad y la deforestación acorralan a las comunidades y ecosistemas. es.mongabay.com/custom-story/2…

Among hundreds laid off from The Washington Post yesterday were dozens of international employees not eligible for protection under the Guild and being axed under less favorable terms, w/ massive logistical challenges ahead. Please help support them: gofund.me/a1da16561

Here’s the full letter sent from foreign correspondents to Bezos. Comes as rumors are circulating that the Washington Post is set to make significant cuts to its foreign desk and other parts of the newsroom.

Chile is battling fast-moving wildfires that have killed people and destroyed homes. My @AP explainer looks at what’s driving them: extreme heat and drought, strong winds, and decades of land-use change — including pine and eucalyptus plantations. 🔗 apnews.com/article/chile-…

Police in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname, backed by Interpol, carried out the first coordinated cross-border crackdown on illegal gold mining in the Amazon region. Nearly 200 arrests. Gold, mercury, cash and weapons seized. My latest for @AP: apnews.com/article/illega…

A rare trial is getting underway in Peru over the killing of Indigenous Amazon defender Quinto Inuma Alvarado. Prosecutors say it could be a test of whether violence against environmental defenders will finally face accountability. apnews.com/article/peru-a…

@ColumbiaUEnergy @diegorivota @latimes @AP reporter :)

The dense and sticky Venezuelan crude is high in sulfur, making it harder to extract and refine than other oil, such as the lighter oil produced from US shale fields, CGEP expert @diegorivota tells the @latimes reporter @sjgrattan. "It's very dense, very sloppy, very hard. And it's also very sour," he says. "What that means in practical terms is that it requires, versus other types of oil resources, higher infrastructure, higher use of energy—it's much more energy intensive—and hence much more carbon intensive as well." latimes.com/environment/st…

New story for @AP on the environmental risks tied to U.S. plans under President Trump to revive Venezuela’s oil industry — from aging infrastructure to some of the world’s heaviest crude. apnews.com/article/venezu…

U.S. President Donald Trump says Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and wife have been captured after U.S. conducted a "large scale strike" on the country.

Colombia is the deadliest country in the world for environmental defenders, yet activists are still working to protect their ecosystems and communities. @sjgrattan reports on how ADISPA advocates in the Amazon Pearl reserve confront those risks: apnews.com/article/colomb…

Threats, armed men and bodyguards are facts of life for activists in Colombia’s Amazon. Wonderful piece by @sjgrattan about the environmental leader Jani Silva and abuses by armed groups in Putumayo. apnews.com/article/colomb…

From Putumayo, I reported on one of Colombia’s most threatened environmental defenders: Jani Silva. She’s spent years protecting the Amazon despite constant threats, surveillance & security risks. Our new @AP story shows what that reality looks like. apnews.com/article/colomb…

Delegates at a global mercury summit in Geneva agreed to phase out mercury in dental fillings by 2034 — but failed to act on its use in small-scale gold mining, the world’s top source of mercury pollution. apnews.com/article/mercur…

Interpol, the U.N. & Norway have launched a new phase of a global program to fight illegal deforestation — expanding operations across the Amazon, SE Asia & the Pacific.🌎🌿 🔗 apnews.com/article/interp…

Brazil's Lula says he will personally call Trump if tariff talks stall. By me for @AP from Belem, host city of COP30. apnews.com/article/brazil…

Ten years after Brazil’s worst environmental disaster, the Krenak people are still waiting for justice. My latest for @AP on the lasting scars of the Mariana dam collapse and Brazil’s unfinished environmental reckoning ahead of #COP30. apnews.com/article/brazil…

Brazilian police, backed by Interpol, destroyed hundreds of dredges used in illegal gold mining along the Madeira River — one of the biggest crackdowns yet on environmental crime in the Amazon. 🔗 apnews.com/article/interp…