hide
Free keywords:
Climate change and health; Latin America; Adaptation; Mitigation and health co-benefits; Economic and finance; Public engagement
Abstract:
Globally, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with the average near-surface temperature reaching 1.55 °C above pre-industrial levels. This record is part of a continued warming trend, with temperatures staying above the 1.5 °C threshold for nearly two years. This warming, largely driven by economic activities, is leading to concurrent hazards across Latin America, including heatwaves, wildfires, and floods, which are devastating communities, disrupting livelihoods and leading to a wide range of health consequences for the people of the region.
Amidst this escalating threat, human health has become a central focus in international climate diplomacy, with the COP28 UAE Framework including a specific health target and operationalising the Global Goal on Adaptation. While these steps are important, significant challenges remain. The world remains off-track to meet its climate goals, despite a decade since the Paris Agreement. The continued reliance on fossil fuels and the failure of many countries to meet emissions targets and climate finance commitments are some of the major obstacles undermining efforts to protect human health and progress to a thriving future.
The 2025 Lancet Countdown Latin America report, a collaboration of 25 regional academic institutions and UN agencies, tracks 41 indicators across 17 Latin American countries. It provides clear evidence on the escalating impacts of climate change on human health. For this iteration, several methodological improvements were implemented, including the refinement of existing indicators and the incorporation of six new ones. Additionally, efforts were made to integrate a sub-national perspective wherever data allows, recognising that climate impacts and the effectiveness of responses vary significantly among and within countries. The following section summarises the main findings, structured around three key messages that reflect the central themes of the report.
