Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean and Implications for Development

The document outlines projected climate impacts for Latin America and the Caribbean, including temperature increases of up to 4.5 °C, rising sea levels, and glacier loss. These changes are expected to disrupt water runoff, reduce agricultural and livestock yields, and threaten biodiversity, specifically coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest. The paper concludes that the region faces severe risks to human health, infrastructure, and livelihoods due to the potential for simultaneous and compounding impacts.

• Projections for Latin America and the Caribbean by the end of the century include mean temperature increases of up to 4.5 °C relative to pre-industrial levels, alongside increased heat extremes, higher drought risks, and altered precipitation.
• Physical changes include sea level rises of approximately 0.2–1.1 mm, increased intensity and frequency of the most severe tropical cyclones, and substantial tropical glacier volume loss, though southern Andes glaciers are less sensitive.
• Climate change threatens regional biodiversity and food security, specifically risking Amazon rainforest degradation, annual coral reef bleaching from 2040-2050, and reduced yields in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, despite some potential gains in rice yields and southern South American fish catches.
• The region is expected to be severely affected even with lower warming levels because climate impacts may occur simultaneously and compound each other, negatively impacting energy systems, coastal infrastructure, human health, and incomes from tourism, agriculture, and fisheries.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2018). Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean and Implications for Development. https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-latin-america-caribbean-and-implications-development/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean and Implications for Development. 2018. https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-latin-america-caribbean-and-implications-development/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean and Implications for Development |date=9 April 2018 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-latin-america-caribbean-and-implications-development/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2018climate, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean and Implications for Development}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-latin-america-caribbean-and-implications-development/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }