Climate policies in Latin America and the Caribbean: success stories and challenges in the fight against climate change

The Latin American and Caribbean region is highly vulnerable to climate change. Historically, the region has adopted an “adaptation first” posture. The regions early adoption and implementation of the Paris Agreements Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) framework also led to some ambitious decarbonization plans, as well as to considerable advances in the energy and transportation sectors. As countries submit the second iteration of their NDCs, some coordinated whole-of-government approaches emerge. Notwithstanding some positive signs, plenty remains to be done in sectors such as agriculture. From an implementation perspective, the challenge remains the same: to transform ambitious objectives into measurable results.