Latin America at a Crossroads: Climate Leadership in an Era of Crisis
As the planet faces unprecedented environmental shifts, Latin America stands at the center of both urgent vulnerability and immense opportunity. This reality was at the heart of the panel Climate Change and the Environment, part of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies’ 30th Anniversary Symposium. Moderated by Marcia Castro—Andelot Professor of Demography, Chair of the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Chair of the Brazil Studies Program at DRCLAS—the session brought together leading experts and policymakers to reflect on the region’s critical role in confronting climate change and shaping global solutions. Discussions spanned sustainable development, the delicate balance between ecological protection and economic growth, and the promise of transformative conservation efforts—from large-scale nature reserves to rewilding initiatives that support both human well-being and planetary resilience.
Latin America—home to 40% of the planet’s biodiversity and 7% of its land surface—is a global environmental powerhouse. Yet its ecosystems, particularly the Amazon, are under severe threat. Nearly a quarter of the Amazon biome has already been deforested or degraded, a loss that accelerates global warming and destabilizes regional climate systems. In 2024 alone, the world saw temperature anomalies reach a record-breaking +1.62°C above preindustrial averages, alongside increasingly extreme weather events.
Against this backdrop, panelists called for a new approach to environmental leadership—one that is ambitious, interconnected, and grounded in the region’s realities. Carlos Alvarado, former President of Costa Rica, has long championed such a vision. Under his leadership, Costa Rica launched one of the world’s first comprehensive national decarbonization plans following the 2015 Paris Agreement, targeting zero emissions across key sectors. He also highlighted the region’s leadership in the “30x30” initiative to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, underscoring Latin America’s potential for global impact.
But Alvarado warned that environmental action cannot succeed in silos. Climate change, he argued, is not merely a scientific or policy issue—it is an existential, ethical, and systemic challenge. Addressing it requires connecting environmental goals with democracy, inclusive economic development, and human well-being. Fragmented thinking and polarized narratives, he noted, only hinder progress.
That call for integration was echoed by Izabella Teixeira, Brazil’s former Minister of the Environment. She emphasized that
environmental protection is inseparable from democratic vitality. Societies with robust democratic institutions, she argued, are better equipped to make informed, inclusive decisions about their relationship with nature. Teixeira urged the region to move beyond reactive crisis management and rethink how it governs land, energy, and security. “Nature,” she affirmed, “must be understood as a political actor”—a central force in geopolitics and not a secondary concern.
Bringing an on-the-ground perspective, Enrique Ortiz, Senior Program Director of the Andes Amazon Fund, reminded the audience that Latin America is not only biologically rich, but also home to deep cultural and Indigenous diversity. Conservation strategies, he argued, must be tailored to local realities—both ecological and political. While he pointed to promising developments such as increased recognition of Indigenous land rights and strengthened subnational conservation efforts, Ortiz cautioned that threats like illegal mining, organized crime, and agricultural expansion still pose major risks. For conservation to succeed, he said, the region must move toward pragmatic, results-oriented approaches rooted in measurable impact and community engagement.
Together, these perspectives offered a powerful message: Latin America has a unique opportunity to lead in renewable energy, sustainable land use, and biodiversity protection—but only if environmental stewardship is tied to democratic governance and inclusive economic growth. Real transformation will require more than new policies. It will demand a shift in mindset—toward empathy, regional collaboration, and a new narrative that goes beyond crisis and focuses on possibility.
As the climate crisis deepens, incremental efforts are no longer enough. Latin America must embrace its role not just as a region at risk, but as a region with the vision, tools, and leadership to shape the world’s environmental future.