The role of Latin America and the Caribbean in global environmental health policy

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region encompasses a broad geographic expanse of states whose sociopolitical and economic systems have evolved over time as reflections of a variable colonial past, power imbalances with more advanced nation-states, and intra-regional cultural identity struggles. The varying extent of these "centreperiphery" internal and external factors in the post-Cold War era, coupled with the mechanisms of governance and policymaking, ultimately guide each state's integration into an increasingly globalised world [1].Despite the variety of nations within the region and their idiosyncratic differences, they are all similarly affected by the interlinked challenges of pollution, climate change, deforestation, carbon emissions, overpopulation, loss of biodiversity, resource depletion, and the resultant downstream disaster and public health concerns [2]. It is therefore imperative that regional and global solutions are devised that are acceptable and actionable to all international and regional stakeholders. Given the heterogenous global power structures, the literature suggests that regional governance of environmental issues may be more effective than international strategies to offset nuances in political governance structures and create buy-in [3]. This is particularly important given the volatile nature of countries driven by democratic presidentialism, in which policymaking changes with the ruling party's leader and reflects their political will [4].