Analysis

Photo of the Construction of Santo Antonio Dam

From Dams to Data: China’s Shifting Interests in Central America

China’s attempted economic recalibration has already reverberated across the Latin American and Caribbean region, as many countries see new interest from Chinese companies in emerging industries. Asia & Latin America Program Director Margaret Myers considers the increasingly uncertain role of Central America in this new equation.

Margaret Myers

Articles & Op-Eds ˙ ˙ USIP

Photo of Chinese EV Showroom

China’s EV drive accelerates in Latin America

China is making headway in the Latin American market by exporting electric vehicles (EVs) and investing in local production. Asia and Latin America Program Director, Margaret Myers, considers the significant implications China’s growth in Latin America’s EV and lithium mining industries could have for the region.

Margaret Myers

Articles & Op-Eds ˙ ˙ East Asia Forum

Photo of Rebecca Bill Chavez and President Irfaan Ali Video

A Conversation with Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali

On September 13, 2023, President Irfaan Ali joined Inter-American Dialogue President & CEO Rebecca Bill Chavez for a conversation on sustainable management of oil & gas revenue and the future of US-Guyana ties.

Bernarda Jarrín

Event Summaries ˙

Colombia is investing heavily in renewable sources of energy, in line with its 2021 Energy Transition Law. An offshore wind farm in Britain is pictured. // File Photo: Colombian Government.

Is Colombia on Track to Make the Shift to Renewables?

A Latin America Energy Advisor Q&A featuring experts’ viewpoints on Colombia’s shift to renewable energy sources.

Diego Mesa Puyo, Karla Schiaffino, Schreiner Parker, Inés Elvira Vesga, John Padilla, Juanita Hernández Vidal

Energy Advisor ˙

Panelists at the Latin American Energy Conference Video

Experts and officials discuss LAC energy policy

While 2021 has been a year of transition for the energy sector in Latin America, it has also been a year of instability in the region’s political conditions and social environment. Under this context, industry experts, government officials and corporate representatives convened virtually to discuss the challenges, opportunities and changes in Latin America’s energy markets at the Fifth Annual Latin America Energy Conference.

Event Summaries ˙ ˙ Fifth Annual Latin America Energy Conference

Nature scene of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest

Sustainable Investment Is Flooding the Market

Companies are increasingly under pressure from the public and regulators to both disclose and improve environment, social, and governance (ESG) metrics. Such regulations in Europe and the United States will nudge investors toward low emissions projects. All this capital has to be put somewhere, and Latin America and other emerging markets are well positioned to become big recipients of these increased climate-focused flows.

Lisa Viscidi

Articles & Op-Eds ˙ ˙ Foreign Policy

Event photo featuring the ten speakers Video

Expertos analizan las rutas para alcanzar la carbono neutralidad

La Fundación Propagas, la Universidad Central del Este y el Diálogo Interamericano celebraron el jueves 3 de junio la Quinta Edición de la Cátedra Magistral Ambiental, dedicada a la señora Rosa Margarita Bonetti de Santana, destacada medioambientalista de la República Dominicana.

Ignacio Albe

Event Summaries ˙

Row of solar PV panels

Energy and Climate Change: Latin America as a Strategic Player

In an interview with The Science of Where Magazine, Lisa Viscidi, director of the Energy, Climate Change, and Extractive Industries Program, and Sarah Phillips, program assistant, discussed Latin America’s progress toward the energy transition and its geopolitical implications. 

Lisa Viscidi, Sarah Phillips

Interviews ˙ ˙ The Science of Where Magazine

A report cover featuring wind turbines, solar panels, and large battery cells

State of Charge: Energy Storage in Latin America and the Caribbean

Energy storage is a class of technologies that is diverse, complex, and rapidly evolving. Policymakers in Latin America and the Caribbean will need to acquire a strong grasp of the technical characteristics and benefits of these technologies, the services they can provide, and the most relevant regional and power market applications for each technology, according to this report authored by experts from the Inter-American Dialogue and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Lisa Viscidi, Nate Graham, Ariel Yépez-García, Edwin Malagón

Reports ˙ ˙ Inter-American Development Bank

collage of speaker headshots and image of a wind farm Video

Electrification and Innovation Among Key Private Sector Strategies in Latin America’s Energy Transition

As the energy transition gathers pace and Latin American countries raise their emissions reduction targets, private companies are revising their business models to meet demand for renewable energy and other solutions. The United States has also reemerged as a partner on climate action in the region. This webinar explored the current and potential role of the private sector in Latin America’s energy transition and how the United States can provide support.

Jamie Dorner

Event Summaries ˙

Green cover photo of the report

Energy and Mining in the Amazon

The Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s most important ecosystems, faces environmental impacts from hydroelectric dams, oil and gas drilling sites, and mining projects. A new database and analysis by the Inter-American Dialogue reveals that state-owned enterprises, as well as small and mid-sized international companies from a handful of countries, operate the largest share of such projects in the Amazon region, meaning these companies have a substantial influence over the implementation of environmental and social safeguards.

Lisa Viscidi, Sarah Phillips

Reports ˙ ˙ Download the Report

Tania Ortiz Mena, Enrique Ochoa Reza, David Goldwyn, Lisa Viscidi

Private Roundtable on US-Mexico Energy Cooperation

The energy markets of the United States and Mexico are deeply integrated, to the benefit of both countries and their economies. The new US administration has a clear interest in preserving and expanding this fruitful relationship while advancing its ambitious clean energy and climate goals, both at home and abroad. On March 11, the Inter-American Dialogue held a private roundtable on US-Mexico energy cooperation.

Event Summaries ˙

Cover of UCSD US-Mexico Forum 2025 Energy & Sustainability Report showing a wind farm

US-Mexico Forum 2025: Energy and Sustainability Report

The world is in a transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 that will change the way we use and produce energy and shape the sustainability of our planet. This paper, published by UC San Diego, addresses how Mexico and the United States can use their energy resources to deliver jobs, economic prosperity, and social justice at this transformational juncture in history, examining three areas fundamental to the US-Mexico energy relationship: sustainability; hydrocarbons; and gas, power, and renewables.

Lisa Viscidi, Carlos Pascual, Angélica Ruiz, David Crisostomo, Samantha Gross, Verónica Irastorza, Alejandra León, Jeremy Martin, John McNeece, Isabel Studer

Reports ˙ ˙ UC San Diego