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This briefing describes the vulnerability of tropical dry forests in the Americas to global change, detailing trends in productivity and the urgent need for expanded conservation efforts beyond existing national parks and reserves.

Research using Polylepis tarapacana tree rings shows that a severe drought from 1316 to 1371 in the Bolivian Altiplano coincided with a shift from vulnerable valley villages to fortified hilltop settlements (Pukaras), suggesting water scarcity triggered social conflict. The document warns that current warming, glacier shrinkage, and rising water demands from mining and agriculture increase the risk of similar conflicts today.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues that nature and ecosystem services provide immense economic value, often exceeding the gains from their exploitation, and that the costs of biodiversity loss pose systemic risks to global GDP and financial stability.

This executive summary describes an interdisciplinary project aimed at improving the provision of climate and agricultural information for public decision-makers in Guatemala to better respond to droughts. The project focuses on understanding decision-making processes, evaluating institutional responses through emergency simulations, and developing a platform to empower officials with adapted climate and food security evidence.

The Bridging ecosystem services and territorial planning (BEST-P) initiative is a research project focused on integrating the concept of Ecosystem Services (ES) into land use and territorial planning across southern South America. The project analyzes the biophysical and human dimensions of landscapes in the Rio de la Plata Grasslands, the Gran Chaco dry-forests, and the Valdivian forests to develop toolboxes for zoning and planning that balance production and conservation.

This executive summary describes a project led by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research to establish the Nitrogen Human Environment Network (Nnet). The project aims to map the nitrogen (N) cycle across Latin America, analyzing the impacts of human activities—such as fertilizer use, soy production, and mining—on ecosystem processes and biodiversity to provide guidelines for regional nitrogen management policies.

This executive summary details a study on the institutional capacity to respond to climate change impacts on water resources and agriculture across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The research identifies significant gaps in adaptive capacity, particularly for vulnerable populations, and suggests policy interventions to mitigate climate and water stresses.

A research project is using 1980-2005 data and WRF modeling to analyze how agricultural and forestry expansion affects the hydroclimate, hydrological characteristics, and extreme weather events (floods and droughts) in the Plata Basin. The project introduces Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) to better model annual land cover evolution.

This executive summary describes a project analyzing the capacity of institutions to respond to climate change impacts on agriculture and water resources across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The study evaluates vulnerabilities of social actors, institutional capacities for water management, and future hydrological scenarios to inform national and regional climate adaptation policies.

This executive summary describes a research project investigating how soil microorganisms, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), respond to climate change and land-use changes across temperate and tropical ecosystems in the Americas to support agriculture and food security.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines debt-for-nature swaps as a tool to address the intersecting crises of public debt, climate change, and biodiversity loss, with a specific focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. It argues that while these swaps are gaining popularity, they are not a 'silver bullet' due to their limited scale, reliance on local currency, and potential risks to national sovereignty and Indigenous land rights.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) analyzes the 2023 activities of UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding states' human rights obligations in the context of climate change. It tracks the increasing frequency of climate-related references in state reporting procedures and examines specific themes such as fossil fuel extraction, the right to a healthy environment, loss and damage, and intergenerational equity.

This report details the proceedings and decisions of the 32nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-32) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held via videoconference on May 22-23, 2024. The meeting focused on financial planning, the relocation of the IAI Executive Directorate from Uruguay to Panama, the integration of Indigenous knowledge into climate science, and the expansion of the IAI's network of Associate institutions.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has released draft reports for the 32nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-32) and the 57th meeting of the Executive Council (EC-57) for review and comment.

A notification from the Executive Director of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) announcing the availability of preliminary reports from the 32nd Conference of the Parties (CoP-32) and the 57th Executive Council meeting (CE-57) for review and comment.

This document is a list of participants for the 32nd Meeting to the Conference of the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, hosted by Bolivia and Canada on 22-23 May 2024. It lists representatives from member countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as members of the SAC and SPAC advisory committees and various observers from international organizations and universities.

This fact sheet by Zero Carbon Analytics explains the mechanics, predictions, and regional impacts of La Niña, the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. It details the likelihood of a transition to La Niña in 2024, the increasing frequency of multi-year events, and how human-caused climate change influences these phenomena without offsetting overall global warming.

This briefing document, prepared by the IAI Directorate, presents the report of the 2024 Extraordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The primary purpose of the meeting, held via videoconference on 26 March 2024, was to review and decide upon a proposal from Panama to host the headquarters of the IAI Directorate.

The Report of the Financial Working Group, prepared by the IAI Directorate, outlines a plan to ensure the financial stability of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) through adjusted voluntary contributions and the acceptance of in-kind support.

This report from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) details the activities and recommendations of the Financial Working Group. The group was tasked with developing a plan to increase voluntary contributions to the IAI's operating budget and define other forms of financial and in-kind support to ensure financial stability amidst inflation and growth in activities.