Associated Press' Amazon rainforest/ deforestation reporter | Previously Reuters in Brazil | N. Ireland is home | Bogota-based | 📧: sgrattan@ap.org 🏳️‍🌈https://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mkonm54qgk2nConference on moving away from fossil fuels wraps in Santa Marta 🇨🇴 56 countries, no binding deals — but a clear shift: from debating if to phase out fossil fuels → to how to do it Finance, debt & transition plans now front and center My AP takeaways 👇 https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-fossil-fuels-colombia-takeaways-fa4bc18a9ca20abcb61b26ba3aa9717a30 Apr 2026 03:16 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkonm54qgk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mklax6fecc2pI’m in Santa Marta covering the international conference on moving away from fossil fuels, where the high-level segment has now begun. https://apnews.com/article/colombia-fossil-fuels-conference-santa-marta-gustavo-petro-833b841e2eebf5cddfea94967972855528 Apr 2026 18:52 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklax6fecc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mkj5vrjgck22In Santa Marta covering a global conference on moving away from fossil fuels. This story looks at the core tension: countries agree on the need to move away from oil, gas and coal, but there’s still a major gap over who pays — especially for developing nations. https://apnews.com/article/climate-fossil-fuels-finance-conference-energy-transition-335239cc78c0c26e580d3c62a5e2365827 Apr 2026 22:52 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkj5vrjgck22https://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mkalhcj22s2qI’ll be in Santa Marta covering a major conference on moving away from fossil fuels — reach out if you’re around. Planned before the war in Iran, but the timing now highlights how vulnerable economies remain to fossil fuel shocks. https://apnews.com/article/conference-santa-marta-fossil-fuels-colombia-global-warming-69bed10edb165919582664b89964f75324 Apr 2026 13:00 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkalhcj22s2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mjp6yutbhk2bI spoke with Colombia’s environment minister Irene Vélez Torres ahead of a key summit on moving beyond fossil fuels. She says the war in Iran should accelerate — not delay — the shift to renewables. https://apnews.com/article/colombia-conference-fossil-fuel-oil-gas-minister-irene-velez-iran-6bcab3923e4d5d3ae445c706ab1e64af17 Apr 2026 15:02 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjp6yutbhk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mgzvkb4tf227I 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. https://apnews.com/article/climate-ecuador-amazon-oil-drilling-b2ef49bfac17102456a4d3bf30730be214 Mar 2026 16:57 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgzvkb4tf227https://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mfk7ou5tek25Illegal 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. https://apnews.com/article/peru-illegal-gold-mining-amazon-mercury-indigenous-1938504793e97fc181acaf1e6321302823 Feb 2026 17:50 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfk7ou5tek25https://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mczolersy22fChile’s wildfires are burning hotter and spreading faster this summer, with deadly consequences. This piece explains why: prolonged drought, extreme heat, strong winds, and landscapes reshaped by large pine and eucalyptus plantations — alongside human-caused ignitions. 🔗 https://apnews.com/article/chile-wildfires-climate-change-plantations-drought-448d20e4fb24aca74458db739a20b31822 Jan 2026 17:11 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mczolersy22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mczewartqs2aPolice 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 @apnews.com: https://apnews.com/article/illegal-gold-mining-amazon-interpol-mercury-deforestation-56825fd0ef266d3e63d2a8429b89b93722 Jan 2026 14:18 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mczewartqs2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mcsa3cytr22fA rare criminal trial has begun in Peru over the killing of Indigenous Amazon defender Quinto Inuma Alvarado. Advocates say the case could signal whether long-standing impunity for attacks on environmental defenders is finally being challenged. My story for AP: https://apnews.com/article/peru-amazon-defender-trial-indigenous-rights-a0f72e26444a2f3dce34fd61028436aa19 Jan 2026 18:03 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcsa3cytr22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3mbz2w5tsy223New 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. https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-oil-pollution-0485a3d37f474bacb478e1d5160736fd09 Jan 2026 17:54 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbz2w5tsy223https://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m7iagpxgmc2wFrom 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 @apnews.com story shows what that reality looks like. https://apnews.com/article/colombia-amazon-environmental-activists-threats-139097991e7c6a1f1e63a1e59025210e08 Dec 2025 14:27 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7iagpxgmc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m52yqivmnc23At a UN mercury summit in Geneva, countries agreed to end mercury use in dental fillings by 2034 — but took no major steps to curb its use in small-scale gold mining, now the leading source of mercury pollution worldwide. https://apnews.com/article/mercury-summit-gold-mining-indigenous-groups-1c68f882913920b59ef153c29aa5aa4707 Nov 2025 21:15 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m52yqivmnc23https://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m4vjc5smjs2nInterpol, the U.N. & Norway are stepping up the global fight against forest crime. A new phase of their joint program targets illegal logging, gold mining & timber trafficking across the Amazon, SE Asia & Pacific — just ahead of COP30 in Belém. 🌿🌎 https://apnews.com/article/interpol-brazil-crime-environment-deforestation-cop30-d5e17dd8bbcfcb0022c645e6192d8ed105 Nov 2025 16:55 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4vjc5smjs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m4vcfkdj4k2yTen years on, the scars of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster remain. The Krenak people are still fighting for justice — and for their river. My latest looks at how the Mariana dam collapse continues to haunt Minas Gerais, as Brazil prepares to host #COP30. 🔗 https://apnews.com/article/brazil-disaster-mariana-dam-minas-samarco-vale-bhp-killing-contamination-cop30-6b5beb1f901bf305d1b2bc5d78d3a1b405 Nov 2025 14:51 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4vcfkdj4k2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m4qqd3pips2hBrazilian police, backed by Interpol, dismantled hundreds of dredges used in illegal gold mining along the Madeira River — one of the largest crackdowns to date on environmental crime in the Amazon. The raids targeted criminal networks behind deforestation and river pollution. https://apnews.com/article/interpol-amazon-crackdown-police-environment-crime-basin-gold-mining-brazil-ad1d237c2ff2f225c4233ca4ce6479af03 Nov 2025 19:17 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4qqd3pips2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m4gtlftjmk2g🌳 Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell 11% over the past year, new government data shows — a rare bit of good news ahead of COP30. But fires hit record highs, underscoring how fragile the gains remain. https://apnews.com/article/deforestation-brazil-drop-amazon-data-government-fire-drought-e6f6133a3a7c1c0fcd44c9875ced035730 Oct 2025 20:49 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4gtlftjmk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m46muoz3y22oA report says at least 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups remain worldwide and face growing threats from logging, mining, missionaries and organized crime. (AP video produced by Rosa Ramirez and Steven Grattan) https://apnews.com/video/what-to-know-about-uncontacted-indigenous-peoples-and-efforts-to-protect-them-1f86a187702845249c7f541c69c7575327 Oct 2025 14:28 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m46muoz3y22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m45cdm6w6s2hEntire cultures in the Amazon could disappear without most of the world ever knowing they existed. @AP: https://apnews.com/article/uncontacted-indigenous-amazon-mining-logging-5d8d90cf8e13f44a5202101fee62b58327 Oct 2025 01:46 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m45cdm6w6s2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m3x6mth6gk2rInterpol has coordinated a major operation across Latin America targeting environmental crimes — from illegal gold mining to wildlife trafficking and deforestation. The crackdown led to 225 arrests in 21 countries and the seizure of millions in assets. https://apnews.com/article/latin-america-interpol-environment-wildlife-gold-mining-5b3a3edd1ce47b91e7df6e214a98044524 Oct 2025 15:24 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3x6mth6gk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m2mf6ds3es2aThe Andean Community has ordered Peru to curb mercury use tied to illegal gold mining in the Amazon. 🌎⚖️ It’s the first time the regional trade bloc has intervened in a case like this, after a complaint from Indigenous communities. https://apnews.com/article/peru-mercury-illegal-gold-mining-trade-bloc-ruling-indigenous-1459cd455bc15d0ab228bc75476752b707 Oct 2025 14:57 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2mf6ds3es2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3m2meytfhh22aAs gold prices hit record highs, Peru’s Amazon faces a surge in illegal mining. Bishop Miguel Ángel Cadenas warns of mercury contamination, food insecurity & human rights risks. https://apnews.com/article/peru-bishop-catholic-pollution-communities-gold-prices-2cbf87201925294294571ab3f16f05db07 Oct 2025 14:54 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2meytfhh22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3lwranm6qws2qIndigenous leaders from across the Amazon are calling on South American presidents to turn promises into action — highlighting that this may be the first time they meet directly with heads of state to demand a say in shaping the rainforest’s future. https://apnews.com/article/colombia-summit-amazon-presidents-indigenous-leaders-b2c0284200a6263b4c88f9618a6ec4ed19 Aug 2025 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwranm6qws2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3lwa2vgxh6c2yIn Colombia’s southwest, unarmed Indigenous Guards confront guerrillas recruiting children into war. I followed their fight—and a mother’s daring mission to rescue her 13-year-old son. Read here 👉 https://apnews.com/article/colombia-indigenous-children-farc-drugs-recruitment-520cbff5c46a0959d134f5a0b14b074812 Aug 2025 19:40 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwa2vgxh6c2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3luzvfzhmfs2xIn Cauca, Colombia, Indigenous youth are resisting armed groups — not with guns, but with ancestral knowledge and community defense. My latest for @AP: https://apnews.com/article/colombia-indigenous-land-protection-cauca-farc-youth-f4de70775dfdd3986af377d297e26e7c28 Jul 2025 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3luzvfzhmfs2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3lkbqt3trys2fPeru’s Congress has approved a controversial reform to the country’s international cooperation law which imposes sweeping restrictions on NGOs in a move human rights groups warn could cripple efforts to defend vulnerable communities and fight corruption. https://apnews.com/article/peru-congress-new-law-regulating-apci-d74aba95afb55d03b5d6a6b8783cf0b313 Mar 2025 18:43 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkbqt3trys2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/sjgrattan.bsky.social/post/3ljl2oejttk22Indigenous leaders from the Peruvian Amazon who are calling for the government to stop oil and gas projects in their territory took their case to an international human rights body on Tuesday. https://apnews.com/article/peru-indigenous-oil-gas-exploration-human-rights-commission-amazon-violate-70bdb220736f1e8cdf4c416157ae83a404 Mar 2025 18:08 +0000at://did:plc:24o3cqstolo6yopip53fwk36/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljl2oejttk22