Analysis

In his first foreign trip as Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador arrived Tuesday in Washington and meets today with U.S. President Donald Trump. // File Photo: Mexican Government.

What Will AMLO Gain From His Visit to the White House?

A Latin America Advisor Q&A featuring experts’ takes on Mexican President López Obrador’s first trip abroad since taking office, to Washington.

Arturo Sarukhán, Martha Bárcena, Laura Carlsen, Earl Anthony Wayne, Laura Carlsen

Latin America Advisor ˙

Natural gas pipeline

Q&A with Lisa Viscidi on Mexico’s Natural Gas Market Development

Lisa Viscidi, director of the Energy, Climate Change & Extractive Industries Program, spoke with Natural Gas Intelligence’s Adam Williams about recent regulatory changes to Mexico’s energy sector and how they are impacting the country’s natural gas market. They discuss obstacles that could affect the country’s energy sovereignty, investment opportunities, natural gas imports from the United States, and concerns surrounding political risk in the sector.

Lisa Viscidi, Adam Williams

Interviews ˙ ˙ Natural Gas Intelligence

Report Cover for Latin American State Oil Companies and Climate Change

Latin American State Oil Companies and Climate Change: Decarbonization Strategies and Role in the Energy Transition

Latin American national oil companies (NOCs) have made important advances in slashing emissions from their operations through techniques such as reducing flaring, improving energy efficiency, and injecting CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, according to a new report by the Inter-American Dialogue and the Inter-American Development Bank. Yet, progress in producing lower carbon energy sources for consumers has been sluggish, no Latin American NOC has committed to net zero emissions, and for some companies emissions are on the rise, the report finds.

Lisa Viscidi, Sarah Phillips, Paola Carvajal, Carlos Sucre

Reports ˙ ˙ Download Report

Chile has recorded more than 20,000 cases, but only 270 deaths, one of the lowest rates in the world. // File Photo: Chilean Government.

Covid-19 in the Americas: A Case in Contrasts

Some governments in Latin America imposed early preventive measures and mobilized health systems to meet the threat of Covid-19. Meanwhile, others with populist national leaders have done very little to prepare for or otherwise mitigate the epidemic.

Julio Frenk, Felicia Marie Knaul, Michael Touchton

Latin America Advisor ˙

Foto de un globo que muestra las Américas

La migración y la democracia: exclusión y expulsión

La exclusión y la expulsión son los resultados de estructuras estatales dañadas, afectadas por muchos países en condiciones estatales fallidas, así como la ausencia de consenso o polarización social y política sobre el tipo de sujeto político que conforma la sociedad moderna.

Manuel Orozco

Articles & Op-Eds ˙ ˙ Confidencial

Political Risk Analysis: What’s Ahead For Mexico’s Renewable Energy Industry?

Until recently Mexico stood out within Latin America as a top potential producer of wind and solar energy, but policies under the López Obrador administration have made the climate for renewable energy investment increasingly hostile. Lisa Viscidi, director of the Energy Program, and Sarah Phillips, program assistant, sat down with Nathaniel Parish Flannery of Forbes to discuss what’s ahead for Mexico’s renewable resource sector.

Lisa Viscidi, Sarah Phillips, Nathaniel Parish Flannery

Interviews ˙ ˙ Forbes

Member in the News: Julio Frenk

Dr. Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami, has published a new book titled Proteger a Mexico: un enfoque integral para que el gobierno no nos falle, a case study of Mexico’s health care system.

Julio Frenk

Member in the News ˙ ˙ News@theU

Clean Energy Auctions in Latin America

Long-term power supply auctions are an increasingly popular instrument worldwide for attracting renewable energy investment while cutting prices, increasing energy security, and reducing emissions. Latin America has been at the forefront of using auctions to boost renewable energy capacity. This study analyzes design and outcomes of government-led long-term power auctions with participation from non-conventional renewable sources in six countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Jamaica) since 2015.

Lisa Viscidi, Ariel Yépez-García

Reports ˙ ˙ Inter-American Development Bank

Canadian, Mexican and U.S. officials signed amendments to the USMCA trade accord last week in Mexico City. // Photo: Mexican Government.

What Are the Most Important Changes to the USMCA?

How will the changes affect the three North American countries, and which sectors are set to gain or lose the most from them?

Andrés Rozental, Michelle DiGruttolo, Nicolás Mariscal, Andrew Rudman, Tamara Kay, Miyako Yerick, Carlo Dade, Kim Nolan García

Latin America Advisor ˙

Experts Divided on Prospects for a Shift in AMLO’s Energy Policy

This event, hosted in collaboration with the Institute of the Americas, aimed to examine the issues facing Mexico’s climate for energy investment across various sectors including power, renewables, oil and natural gas.

Sarah Phillips

Event Summaries ˙

Editor’s Picks: Top Content from the Latin America Advisor 2019

Top selections from the Latin America Advisor’s editorial staff of issues covering especially important developments during 2019, a remarkable year for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Gene Kuleta, Anastasia Chacón González

Latin America Advisor ˙

Presentation to Elcano Institute: Clean Energy Auctions in Latin America

Lisa Viscidi, director of the Energy, Climate Change and Extractive Industries Program, gave a presentation to the Energy Working Group of the Elcano Institute on clean energy auctions in Latin America and how their intelligent design could benefit other countries in the region. 

Lisa Viscidi

Presentations ˙

Video

Assessing the Outlook for Energy Investment in Latin America

2019 marks the first year since new leaders in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico took office. We can now see more clearly the way their policy decisions have affected the energy sector and opportunities for investment. Meanwhile, Argentina holds presidential elections later this month. Venezuela, in turn, faces a worsening economic crisis as oil production plummets. Industry experts, government officials, and corporate representatives convened to discuss these issues and their regional impacts on October 2 at the Inter-American Dialogue.

Julia Weil

Event Summaries ˙