Science Diplomacy and Global Environmental Change in Latin America and the Caribbean CASE STUDIES

The document provides a comprehensive set of 17 case studies illustrating how science diplomacy—the intersection of foreign policy and scientific research—is used to manage transboundary resources, protect biodiversity, and regulate emerging technologies in the Americas. It defines science diplomacy through three lenses: science in diplomacy (technical input for policy), diplomacy for science (promoting national scientific communities), and science for diplomacy (using scientific cooperation to improve diplomatic ties). Key examples include the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), the Amazonian Regional Platform of Indigenous Peoples (ARPIP), and the Guarani Aquifer Agreement. The text emphasizes the necessity of integrating indigenous knowledge, managing multi-stakeholder governance, and aligning national policies with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address climate change and environmental degradation.

• The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), a voluntary cooperation mechanism between Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama, serves as a pioneering example of 'Science for Diplomacy' by using biodiversity conservation to build trust and a common language between states.
• The Amazonian Regional Platform of Indigenous Peoples (ARPIP), created by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), is the first government-backed regional initiative globally to integrate Indigenous Peoples into climate governance decision-making.
• The Andean Plan for Health and Climate Change 2020-2025 (APHCC) utilizes 'Science in Diplomacy' to address the intersection of environmental public health and climate change across Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
• The Cordillera del Cóndor Peace Park between Ecuador and Peru demonstrates the potential of 'environmental peacebuilding' to resolve long-standing border conflicts, though its success was limited by a lack of long-term planning and the prioritization of mining interests over indigenous rights.
• The Guarani Aquifer Agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay is the only example of a transboundary groundwater agreement in the Western Hemisphere, highlighting the role of hydro-diplomacy in managing 'invisible' water resources.
• The Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) and the SIRIS Project utilize 'Science for Diplomacy' to foster regional cooperation in satellite data sharing to improve climate resilience and disaster risk reduction.
• The construction of hydropower plants in the Madeira River basin (Brazil and Bolivia) illustrates the risks of 'Science in Diplomacy' when technical studies are perceived as imprecise or politically pressured to downplay socio-environmental impacts.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a 'double-edged sword' for diplomacy, offering tools for better decision-making and predictive modeling while creating risks related to cybersecurity, algorithmic bias, and the erosion of democratic transparency.
• Efforts to reduce plastic pollution in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Jamaica often suffer from an 'intention-action gap,' where policy objectives are not met due to a failure to account for human behavioral biases and institutional contexts.
• The Belmont Forum and IAI's 'Transdisciplinarity 101' workshop emphasizes that transdisciplinary (TD) approaches—which integrate academic, local, and indigenous knowledge—are essential for addressing the complexity of global environmental change.
• The pulp mill conflict between Argentina and Uruguay over the Uruguay River demonstrates that while science can provide a common language for dispute, it can also be used to legitimize opposing political claims, often requiring high-level political alignment to resolve.
• The Alpart alumina refinery case in Jamaica shows how science diplomacy, specifically through the 'Red Dirt Report,' can shift the focus of international commercial negotiations toward environmental and social costs.
• The EU-Mercosur trade agreement negotiations highlight the tension between the EU's 'promotional approach' to environmental standards and the concerns of Mercosur countries regarding sovereignty and the potential for environmental clauses to act as trade barriers.
• Lithium extraction in the 'Lithium Triangle' (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile) creates a global environmental injustice where the Global South bears the ecological and health costs of mining while the Global North reaps the benefits of electric vehicle (EV) adoption.
• A comparison of pesticide regulations in Belgium (EU) and Washington State (US) reveals that while both seek to protect health and the environment, the EU employs a stricter 'burden of proof' on industry and more binding reduction targets.
• The 'Sustainable Juruti' model by ALCOA in Brazil illustrates the challenges of multi-stakeholder governance, specifically the risk of 'overlapping mandates' where corporate-led councils duplicate government functions, leading to legitimacy issues.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). Science Diplomacy and Global Environmental Change in Latin America and the Caribbean CASE STUDIES. https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Recursos%20moodle/Recursos%20diplomacia%20cient%C3%ADfica/English/IAI_SciDip_CaseStudiesBooklet_Complete_FV.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Science Diplomacy and Global Environmental Change in Latin America and the Caribbean CASE STUDIES. n.d. https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Recursos%20moodle/Recursos%20diplomacia%20cient%C3%ADfica/English/IAI_SciDip_CaseStudiesBooklet_Complete_FV.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Science Diplomacy and Global Environmental Change in Latin America and the Caribbean CASE STUDIES |url=https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Recursos%20moodle/Recursos%20diplomacia%20cient%C3%ADfica/English/IAI_SciDip_CaseStudiesBooklet_Complete_FV.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndscience, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Science Diplomacy and Global Environmental Change in Latin America and the Caribbean CASE STUDIES}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Recursos%20moodle/Recursos%20diplomacia%20cient%C3%ADfica/English/IAI_SciDip_CaseStudiesBooklet_Complete_FV.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }