Drug wars were once the scourge of Colombia, but “now it is climate change, not the cocaine trade, that poses the greatest threat to ordinary Colombians,” RTCC reports. In the northern province of El Cesar, one of the country’s poorest regions and once one of its most violent, “conflict has receded, but changing weather patterns and coal mining are bringing a new set of problems.” Lack of rain has turned more than 40% of the land to desert, triggering a severe food crisis, and coal mining waste is contaminating the groundwater and river basin. With reserves of more than three million tonnes, the region accounts for 60% of Colombia’s coal exports.
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