America Report of
the Lancet Countdown
The latest report from the Lancet Countdown Latin America provides evidence to inform and guide public decision-making on climate action for the health and wellbeing of Latin American populations.
The second iteration of the Latin America report expands the geographical scope from 12 to 17 countries, monitoring progress across 34 indicators in five domains.
Key findings
Decades of development at risk as climate change undermines foundations of health and human development.
The impacts of climate change are very costly to Latin America. Weather-related extreme events do not only impact people’s health, they also have a huge direct and indirect economic costs. Extreme heat is also contributing to lower productivity and subsequent lower incomes, threatening social progress.
Action needed to pave health-centred climate resilient development pathways
Latin American populations need to build equitable and sustainable development pathways that are low-carbon and adapted to climate change challenges. If governments commit to this, Latin Americans will be able to live more just, equitable, and healthy lives.
The intersection of health and climate change in Latin America requires greater attention
This report is an invitation for more discussion and collaboration to elevate the connections between climate change and health in decision-making. If countries do not know their main vulnerabilities, capacities, potential impacts, and areas to be strengthened, people’s health and wellbeing is put at risk, and economic resources may be misplaced and misused.
Explore key findings of this year’s report
The 2023 Latin America report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: the imperative for health-centred climate resilient development
HEALTH HAZARDS, EXPOSURES, AND IMPACTS
A changing climate has profound implications for human health, with more frequent heat waves and extreme weather events, changing patterns of infectious disease transmission, deterioration of food and water resources, impacts on socioeconomic conditions, and the exacerbation of existing health challenges around the world. Indicators in this section track the multiple ways in which climate change threatens human health and wellbeing.
1.1.2 Exposure of vulnerable populations to heatwaves
In the 2013-2022 period, infants and people older than 65 years experienced, on average, 248% and 271% more days of heatwave per year than in 1986-2005, respectively.
1.3 Climate suitability for infectious disease transmission
The transmission potential for dengue by Aedes aegypti increased by 54% from 1951-1960 to 2013-2022.
1.4 Food security and undernutrition
The higher frequency of heatwave days and drought months in 2021 compared to 1981–2010, was associated with 9·9 million additional people experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity across Latin America.
ADAPTATION, PLANNING, AND RESILIENCE FOR HEALTH
With climate change increasingly threatening the health and wellbeing of populations in every country, actions to build resilience and adapt to climate change are urgently needed. This section tracks how communities, health systems, and governments are understanding the health risks of climate change, the strategies and resources they are deploying, and how adaptation and resilience measures are being implemented globally.
2.1.2 National adaptation plans for health
Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay continue to be the only countries in Latin America with a national health and climate change strategy or plan in place.
2.1.3 City-level climate change risk assessments
In 2022, 55.6% of all municipalities that completed the CDP survey reported they had completed a city-level climate change risk assessment. However, the participants only represent 1.7% of all municipalities in Latin America.
2.2.2 Urban greenspace
None of the 109 urban centres examined in Latin America has levels of greenspace classified as high or above, and only 12 centres (11%) have moderate levels of urban greenness.
MITIGATION ACTIONS AND HEALTH CO-BENEFITS
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to limit the health threats of climate change. Simultaneously, many of the interventions required to mitigate and adapt bring enormous benefits for human health and wellbeing in the form of cleaner air, healthier diets, and more liveable cities. Tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century. Indicators in this section track the world’s efforts to mitigate climate change, and the effective and the health benefits of this response.
3.1.1: Energy systems and health
In Latin America, electricity generation from coal has increased threatening efforts of coal phasing-out. Nevertheless, renewable sources appear as an opportunity as they increased, on average, 5.7 percentage points from 1991–2000 (2.7%) to 2011–2020 (8.4%).
3.1.2: Household energy use
46.3% of the rural population in Central America and 23.3% in South America did not have access to clean fuels for cooking in 2022.
3.2.1: Premature mortality from ambient air pollution
Premature mortality rate attributable to fossil-fuel-derived-PM2.5 increased by 3.9% from 2005 to 2020.
ECONOMICS AND FINANCE
The health impacts of climate change have profound economic implications. This section tracks the economic costs of the health impacts of climate change and its drivers, as well as the extent to which the world’s economy and financial systems are enabling the transition to a health-promoting, zero-carbon economy.
4.1.1: Economic losses due to weather-related extreme events
In 2022, economic losses due to weather-related extreme events in Latin America were US$15.6 billion, representing 0.28% of Latin America’s Gross Domestic Product, and with 93% uninsured.
4.1.2: Costs of heat-related mortality
In 2022, the monetised value of heat-related mortality of people aged 65 and older in Latin America is estimated to be equivalent to the average income of 451,000 people.
4.2.2: Net value of fossil fuels subsidies and carbon prices
All countries reviewed in the region had a net-negative carbon price in 2020, reflecting an overall fossil fuels net subsidy of US$23 billion
PUBLIC AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT
Public and political engagement underpins the foundations of the world’s collective response to climate change, with reductions in global emissions at the speed required by the Paris Agreement depending on engagement from all sectors of society. This working group tracks key actors’ engagement with the links between health and climate change, including in the media, national governments, the corporate sector, and the broader public. The indicators in this section track the links between health and climate change in the media, national governments, the corporate sector, and the broader public.
5.1: Media engagement with health and climate change
Newspaper coverage of climate change continued an upward trend and reached the highest level of 1260 articles in 2022. However, the proportion of climate change articles mentioning health has decreased over time.
5.3: Scientific articles on health and climate change
The number of scientific papers on health and climate change focusing on Latin America increased at a rapid pace. However, the number of papers is still less than 4% of the global scientific publications on the subject in 2022.
5.5: Corporate sector engagement with health and climate change
In 2022, engagement among Latin American companies with health and climate change reached its second highest level since 2011, only behind 2021, with 29% of companies referring to the health dimensions of climate change in their 2022 UN Global Compact Communication of Progress reports.
Director of the Lancet Countdown Latin America
The health of people in Latin America is in danger due to climate change. Our report reveals alarming disparities in adaptation and mitigation efforts, with weak policies exacerbating vulnerabilities. We urgently need better plans and strengthened intersectoral collaboration to protect our communities”