Climate health action in Latin America and the Caribbean: Priorities identified through a multi-stakeholder engagement process
5 affiliations
- 1Instituto de Salud Pública, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá DC, Colombia
- 2Instituto de Salud Pública, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- 3Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, España
- 4Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina (CISeAL), Naturales y Ambientales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- 5Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
Abstract
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is highly vulnerable to climate change despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate-related hazards — including extreme heat, floods, droughts, and hurricanes — exacerbate health risks and disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant populations, rural communities, women, older adults, and individuals with chronic conditions. Structural inequities, weak health systems, limited social protection, and fragmented governance further constrain the adaptive capacity. This study employed a sequential participatory design integrating qualitative and quantitative components, centered on a multi-stakeholder process to identify and prioritize key challenges at the intersection of climate change and health in LAC. A two-phase virtual workshop engaged stakeholders from academia, government, civil society, grassroot organizations and local communities across the region. Phase 1 focused on problem identification and thematic structuring across three axes: health workforce training, public policy, and climate-health data and modeling. Phase 2 applied the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize challenges within each axis and assess stakeholder consensus. Phase 1 identified eight key challenges in health workforce training, nine in public policy, and seven in climate-health data systems. Phase 2 revealed priority gaps across all three axes: limited workforce training and continuing education; weak governance, restricted financing, intersectoral coordination, and equity integration in policy design; and poor data quality, limited availability and timeliness, and weak institutional coordination, with varying levels of stakeholder consensus across the three axes. Effective climate–health action in LAC requires coordinated, equity-oriented, multi-level strategies that strengthen workforce capacity, governance, and data systems while addressing structural inequalities and improving evidence-based decision-making.
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BibTeX
@article{infante2026climate,
title = {{Climate health action in Latin America and the Caribbean: Priorities identified through a multi-stakeholder engagement process}},
author = {Gina Polo Infante and Marino Mejía Rocha and Katerine Ariza Ruiz and Jeannette Liliana Amaya Lara and José Andrés Ocaña Navas and Andrés Peralta Chiriboga and Ana Sofía Zea Ruiz and Natalia Arcila Toro and Anita Gabriela Villacís and Gilma C. Mantilla C and Enrique Peñaloza Quintero and Ana Lucía Torres Castillo and Zulma M. Cucunubá and José Andrés Corredor Martínez and David Olaya Escobar and on behalf of LAC Hub for Climate Change and Health (CLIMAS)},
journal = {PLOS Climate},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pclm.0000868},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000868},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Climate health action in Latin America and the Caribbean: Priorities identified through a multi-stakeholder engagement process
AU - Gina Polo Infante
AU - Marino Mejía Rocha
AU - Katerine Ariza Ruiz
AU - Jeannette Liliana Amaya Lara
AU - José Andrés Ocaña Navas
AU - Andrés Peralta Chiriboga
AU - Ana Sofía Zea Ruiz
AU - Natalia Arcila Toro
AU - Anita Gabriela Villacís
AU - Gilma C. Mantilla C
AU - Enrique Peñaloza Quintero
AU - Ana Lucía Torres Castillo
AU - Zulma M. Cucunubá
AU - José Andrés Corredor Martínez
AU - David Olaya Escobar
AU - on behalf of LAC Hub for Climate Change and Health (CLIMAS)
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - PLOS Climate
DO - 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000868
UR - https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000868
AB - Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is highly vulnerable to climate change despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate-related hazards — including extreme heat, floods, droughts, and hurricanes — exacerbate health risks and disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant populations, rural communities, women, older adults, and individuals with chronic conditions. Structural inequities, weak health systems, limited social protection, and fragmented governance further constrain the adaptive capacity. This study employed a sequential participatory design integrating qualitative and quantitative components, centered on a multi-stakeholder process to identify and prioritize key challenges at the intersection of climate change and health in LAC. A two-phase virtual workshop engaged stakeholders from academia, government, civil society, grassroot organizations and local communities across the region. Phase 1 focused on problem identification and thematic structuring across three axes: health workforce training, public policy, and climate-health data and modeling. Phase 2 applied the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize challenges within each axis and assess stakeholder consensus. Phase 1 identified eight key challenges in health workforce training, nine in public policy, and seven in climate-health data systems. Phase 2 revealed priority gaps across all three axes: limited workforce training and continuing education; weak governance, restricted financing, intersectoral coordination, and equity integration in policy design; and poor data quality, limited availability and timeliness, and weak institutional coordination, with varying levels of stakeholder consensus across the three axes. Effective climate–health action in LAC requires coordinated, equity-oriented, multi-level strategies that strengthen workforce capacity, governance, and data systems while addressing structural inequalities and improving evidence-based decision-making.
SN - 2767-3200
ER -