Kata KaráthScience’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.The COVID-19 pandemic has at least temporarily derailed a controversial plan by Colombia’s government to resume aerial spraying of a potent chemical used to kill coca crops that feed the global trade in cocaine.Late last month, a Colombian court ruled that the spraying of the herbicide glyphosate, which some studies have linked to human health and environmental problems, cannot resume until the government informs and consults with affected communities—a process that has been severely disrupted by the ongoing pandemic.
The government had planned to hold virtual meetings with the communities, but environmental and human rights groups went to court to challenge that.