IAI Compendium on Health, Climate and Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean (2024)
The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents its new compendium of commentaries entitled "Health, Climate and Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean", which explores the complexities of climate and environmental crises in the region. This book, published in partnership with Latin America 21 and supported by the World Meteorological Organization, addresses the region's challenges and risks amid the current climate and environmental crises, with the collaboration of leading experts and academics.
From the foreword written by Irene Torres to the postface by María Villarreal, each chapter offers an informed and insightful perspective on crucial issues. Soledad Niño Celio examines the risks and inequalities inherent in these crises, while Victoria Mendizábal questions the possibility of carrying out health prevention on a planetary scale.
Authors Luz Cumba and María Inés Carabajal propose an innovative approach, "One Health", and advocate scientific diplomacy to address the consequences of climate change. Carolina Cerrudo highlights the importance of early warning systems as lifelines for global health, supporting her point with Bárbara Tapia Cortés' contribution on 30% damage reduction in natural disasters.
Both in the exploration of the connection between "heat islands" and public health, addressed by Gabriel Sánchez Rivera and Leticia Gómez Mendoza, and the need for green areas to mitigate heat waves, according to Enrique Muñoz and Adán Castro Añorve, the authors explore crucial interconnections between health and environment.
Patricia Iribarne delves into how our waste affects climate change, while Sonia Alejandra Pou and Camila Niclis propose dual actions to mitigate climate change and prevent obesity. Iohanna Filippi highlights the harmful connection between pesticides, climate change and obesity.
Irene Torres and Daniel Romero-Alvarez reveal the silent advance of emerging fevers in Latin America, while Hilario Espinosa addresses the inseparable link between climate change and migration, with terrible consequences for the environment. Nicole Arbour closes the set by reminding us that all the elements are interconnected.