Many of the energy systems functioning across the developing world are poorly designed and largely inadequate to meet a country's commercial and domestic energy needs. This is especially so in Latin America, where poverty trends have been exacerbated by limited access to energy, which could be used towards supporting industrial and small-scale commercial activities. This has characterised the widespread trend of energy poverty. This phenomenon poses a major barrier towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing climate change, since lack of access to reliable energy generation systems hinders the development of economic activities and limits the comfort of living conditions. This paper reports on a study aimed at catering to a better understanding of the challenges related to energy poverty in Latin America and identifying some of the tools that may be deployed to address them. The methodological procedures used were bibliometric analysis and survey. The main findings of this research evidence that reducing energy poverty in Latin American countries is crucial to alleviating household costs since a considerable part of family income is used to pay the energy needs. Less use of coal, greater access to electricity—including those from renewable generation—as well as the use of technologies and programs subsidized by governments would significantly contribute to increasing the Latin American citizens' quality of life and achieving the SDGs.

Many higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world are involved in a variety of sustainability initiatives. These are acknowledged to be important elements in fostering the cause of sustainability in HEIs, in further developing the organizations' culture and in acting as enablers in the institutional embedding of sustainability. But despite the relevance of sustainability initiatives, there is a lack of systematic international efforts in how best to map them, especially in Latin America. On the basis of the need to address this gap, this paper reports on the results of an empirical study, aimed at analyzing the current status of sustainability initiatives among Latin American HEIs. Apart from a review of the latest literature, an international survey was performed to design a model using principal component analysis to identify the main descriptors of sustainability initiatives among Latin American HEIs and also the major drivers and challenges. The study sheds some light on the ways universities perceive and handle sustainability-related initiatives. The results show that sustainability is being incorporated in more than 80% of the sampled universities, and that a special emphasis is being given to campus operations. The value of the paper resides on the fact that it one of the few papers that have holistically investigated trends in sustainable development across universities in Latin America. The implications of the study are twofold. It maps for the first time how sustainable development initiatives are being practiced in 157 universities in 13 countries, being one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind, and it also outlines some of the main challenges that universities in the region face. The central message of this paper is that the different levels of emphasis given to SD in Latin American universities need to be better understood in order to catalyze continued and long-term actions.

Development paradigms refer to basic postulates which provide groups of researchers and decision-makers a common theoretical framework to pursue their activities and priorities. The word paradigm first identified by Thomas Kuhn (1996) also has inherent tensions that might intensify conflicts among certain groups who endorse different and frequently opposing points of view about the same reality which is the case of SDG 16 that addresses problems related to peace, justice, and solid institutions.

Low-Elevation Coastal Zones in Central and South America are exposed to climate-related hazards (sea-level rise, climate variability and storms) which threaten the assets (people, resources, ecosystems, infrastructure, and the services they provide), and are expected to increase due to climate change. A non-systematic review is presented focusing on vulnerability elements, impacts, constraints to adaptation, and their possible strategies. The analysis emphasises the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Reasons for Concern (e.g., threatened systems, extreme events, aggregated impacts, and critical thresholds), particularly on sea-level rise, degradation of mangroves, and invasive alien species in Central and South America focusing on case studies from Uruguay and Venezuela. Despite recent advances in coastal adaptation planning in Central and South America, there is an adaptation deficit in the implementation of measures and strategies against climate-related hazards, such as sea-level rise. Adaptation constraints are linked with poverty, resource allocation, lack of political will, and lack of early warning systems for climate-related hazards. Non-structural adaptation measures such as community-based adaptation and ecosystem-based adaptation are not fully mainstreamed into national plans yet. Government-level initiatives (e.g. National Adaptation Programmes of Action) are being developed, but a few are already implemented. In addition to specific thematic measures, the implementation of non-structural approaches, National Adaptation Programmes of Action and early warning systems, based on the reasons for concern, should foster adaptive capacity in coastal areas.

The relationship between sustainable development, environment and climate change is not, in practice, an ideal situation. Often, in many countries, the adoption of laws and international commitments regarding climate change do not generate short-term actions capable of anticipating already existing and future situations and threats. The so-called “Dry Corridors” in Guatemala is an example of this weakness. From this situation emerges a series of challenges regarding sustainable development, environment and climate change threats that require an effective coordination between the main stakeholders in order to make a significant change. Multiple challenges should convert into priorities to make a difference with regard to these issues. This study is oriented to point out three (3) of them which are crucial. This will enable decision-makers, with this guidance, to provide the foundations for the short, mid and long-term. Firstly, there is a need to have an efficient strategy formulated, implemented and evaluated for the eradication of poverty and hunger. These populations are the ones that suffer more sustainable development shortcomings, environmental and climate change impacts. Usually, these events translate into food insecurity and low nutrition levels. Secondly, it is necessary to avoid factors that prevent effective coordination between the private sector, civil society, government and academic sectors, which together constitute the pillars of the “Quadruple Helix” alliance network. They are usually main protagonists of these impacts, especially at the local level. Finally, there is an urgency of approving a decentralized effort involving these actors mainly at local levels. The separation of regulations, the generation of specific benefits for the target populations and the payment of these goods and services are part of a participation culture that engages all stakeholders. This last alternative gives rise to 19 modalities with different alliances and behaviors of the aforementioned sectors to face detected weaknesses.

The findings outlined in this paper have two core audiences in mind. The first are decision-makers with interest in sustainable development, and who can use the information to shape policy. The second are sustainable universities that may provide the needed research for the monitoring and evaluation on what is proposed. Between 2009 and 2013, Galileo University administered Renewable Energy and Climate Change sample surveys to entrepreneurs, university personnel, government officers, and civil society leaders in Guatemala. Qualitative and quantitative analysis was then conducted by the Galileo University on the collected survey data for this time frame. The analysis revealed weaknesses, that if not addressed, are capable of halting sustainability efforts in all Guatemalan sectors—academic, private, government, and the general public. Specifically, the research identified five sustainable development gaps which can serve, not only as important and foundational lessons for all surveyed participants, but also addressed by academic institutions and decision-makers to formulate appropriate actions. These gaps are the following: All these sectors—academic, private, government, and the general public—should strengthen their own capabilities by making respective internal changes to address these gaps and by forming “smart” strategic alliances. The implementation of “Quadruple and Quintuple Helix Innovation Models,” involving decision-makers, applied to these weaknesses appear to be the best policy decisions. These models emphasize collaborations, alliances, and networks. Then and only then, can these sectors address the challenges ahead: the academic sector would strengthen their offer to the larger society and avoid the consolidation of “clusters,” which mean confinements; entrepreneurs will be able to embrace their social responsibility; governments accept networks and horizontal relationships, while civil society may adopt common objectives moderating their dispersion of activities and resources. Universities will then become more sustainable and larger society more resilient.