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The November 2024 Warming Projections Global Update by the NewClimate Institute reports that global warming projections for 2100 have stagnated over the last three years. Current policies set the world on a path toward 2.7°C of warming, while the most optimistic scenario, assuming full implementation of all announced targets, projects 1.9°C. The report highlights a critical disconnect between the escalating climate crisis and the urgency of government policy implementation, noting that while renewable energy growth is record-breaking, it is being offset by all-time high fossil fuel subsidies.

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on the significant export ambitions of Mexico and Argentina and the import expansion in Brazil. The report warns that these investments, totaling an estimated US$123.6 billion, risk becoming stranded assets and could derail the region's energy transition despite the availability of abundant renewable energy resources.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines Nature-based solutions (NbS) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), detailing their potential for climate mitigation and adaptation alongside significant risks regarding biodiversity, land rights, and greenwashing.

This case study examines how Chile, Indonesia, and South Africa are decarbonizing their mining sectors to align with the Paris Agreement while continuing to supply critical minerals for the global energy transition.

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 Global Energy Monitor (GEM) analyzes the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as of October 2024. It details significant planned investments in export terminals in Mexico and Argentina, and import expansions in Brazil, while warning that these projects risk becoming stranded assets in the energy transition and may conflict with global climate goals to limit warming to 1.5 °C.

This project brief describes a multidisciplinary effort to evaluate marine ecosystem services, specifically the role of phytoplankton, across the Antares network of eight time-series stations in Latin America. The project integrates in situ historical data, remote sensing, and bio-geochemical modeling to monitor phytoplankton populations and their impact on carbon sequestration and fisheries, while developing socio-economic indicators to assess how these services affect human populations and decision-making.

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 and the creation of the Nitrogen, Society, and Environment Network (Nnet) to increase knowledge of the continental nitrogen cycle in Latin America. The initiative focuses on measuring biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), atmospheric deposition, and the impacts of human activities—such as soy production, mining, and urbanization—on nitrogen reservoirs and ecosystem biodiversity across several countries.

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.

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 led by Guilherme Fernandes Marques of the Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul to improve floodplain governance in over-built river basins. The project focuses on balancing hydropower demands with ecosystem sustainability and the livelihoods of riverine communities through a trans-disciplinary approach involving partners in Brazil, Canada, and Chile.

This executive summary describes a transdisciplinary research project (2019–2022) funded with USD 199,605 to identify governance modalities that effectively incorporate local and traditional knowledge into biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services management. The project utilizes a mixed-methods action research approach across four case studies in Canada, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay to address implementation gaps in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

This policy brief by Transforma analyzes the feasibility and requirements for Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile to contribute to the global goals of tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency rates by 2030, as established during COP 28. Using the EnergyScope modeling tool, the document evaluates various scenarios to determine the most cost-effective paths for each country to transition their electrical matrices while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

This executive summary by Transforma analyzes the feasibility of meeting global targets to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030 in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. The study finds that for Brazil, Colombia, and Chile, a literal tripling of 2022 capacity would exceed projected energy demand, whereas for Argentina, it could meet demand but is deemed unfeasible due to the extreme infrastructure and market shifts required to move from a 37.4% to a 90% renewable share in six years.

This scoping study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the mining sector's role in the global energy transition, focusing on its contribution to nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and the challenges of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in mineral-rich developing countries.

This briefing, authored by Dr. Tanya Petach of the Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI), examines the drivers of declining lake and reservoir water storage globally. It highlights the distinction between anthropogenic causes, such as unsustainable water consumption, and climate-driven factors, such as increased evaporation and changing precipitation patterns, to argue for targeted policy interventions and adaptive management strategies to prevent urban 'Day Zero' scenarios.

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.

This policy brief outlines the necessity for India to develop a comprehensive copper strategy to support its infrastructure growth and clean energy transition, focusing on supply diversification, trade reforms, and the promotion of a circular economy through scrap recycling.