Climate report urges improvements in early warning systems to strengthen decision-making and community protection

The World Meteorological Organization publishes its State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 report, to which the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has contributed in the section on health impacts and consequences.

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2026 - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched in Brasília its State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 report, warning about the health consequences of climate change and urging continued improvements in early warning systems to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and better protect communities, especially in the face of increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, and glacier melt. The report was developed with contributions from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which focused on the health impacts of these weather phenomena in Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to the report, in 2025 temperatures in the region were 0.40°C higher than the 1991-2020 average, and nearly 1°C higher than the average for the preceding period (1961-1990). Regarding precipitation, variability has increased, with more intense rainfall and flooding events, as well as droughts. The report also highlights glacier water loss, including in the Andes, which serve as a water source for some 90 million people.

In terms of extreme weather events, the report cites Hurricane Melissa, the first Category 5 hurricane in Jamaica's history, whose impacts were devastating. It also notes that June 2025 was the rainiest month on record in Mexico City (with 55.8% more rainfall than in the 1991-2000 period), and that excess heat caused approximately 13,000 deaths per year in the region between 2012 and 2021 (according to a study covering 17 countries), among others.

This overall situation, the report warns, has economic consequences and affects livelihoods, agriculture, water availability, tourism, and food security, among other areas. Likewise, it translates into impacts on health-not only in terms of mortality, but also mental health, communicable diseases, and, more broadly, a greater burden on vulnerable populations.

For this reason, the report underscores the importance of data and evidence, and calls for transforming "climate intelligence into health planning." It also highlights the importance of an intersectoral approach and of strengthening the resilience of health systems and surveillance systems, in line with the Belém Health Action Plan, adopted at the last COP30 climate conference held in that Brazilian city at the end of last year, a plan that was developed with PAHO's technical support.

PAHO continues to provide strategic guidance and technical support to countries to strengthen climate-resilient health systems and enhance preparedness and response to climate-related health risks. Through its ongoing cooperation, the Organization works to protect populations and support countries across the Americas in addressing the growing health impacts of climate change.