Canning Papers

The story of water in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a bit like the element itself: flexible, fast moving, intensely valuable yet sometimes viciously destructive; perhaps a little slippery to pin down and draw hard and fast conclusions. Across an important number of indicators the management of water in the region over the last few decades appears to have improved – for example, a greater proportion of the population now has access to clean drinking water. On the other hand there have been setbacks and the region faces big challenges. Past improvements will not necessarily continue in linear fashion. Climate change is an increasingly important issue, posing big challenges for water management. The trend towards more extreme weather means that the water problem is paradoxical. At the same time there is too much of it – floods – and too little – drought. Sometimes both happen in the same country in the same year.

In March 1812 Simón Bolívar, the future liberator of South America, stood in the rubble of his hometown, Caracas. The Venezuelan capital had been levelled by an enormous earthquake and aftershock and as he led the rescue efforts, Bolívar announced: “If nature itself decides to oppose us, we will fight and force her to obey!” Two hundred years later, Latin American governments are still struggling to predict, mitigate and respond to natural disasters.

At first sight, the outlook for the pharmaceutical industry in Latin America is very good. Demand for medicines and proprietary drugs is set to grow strongly across the region. This reflects a series of important and underlying trends – some of them demographic – which are currently evident, and which can be expected to continue to play out over the next couple of decades.

Something new and unusual is happening here and there across Latin America’s farms and pastures. A wave of start-up companies is using technology in surprising new ways to innovate in what is a traditional and centuries-old industry. The examples are varied.

By the end of 2018, a very different political landscape could have emerged across Latin America and the Caribbean. We can expect to see reactions at the ballot box to a wide range issues such as: disillusionment with traditional ruling classes due to corruption; the election of a populist president in the US; huge reform programmes instigated by current regimes; and crime and violence trends that have not seen the improvement that incumbent governments would like.

The future of Latin America will be forged in its cities. It is within the region’s urban areas that the push and pull of social, economic, and demographic forces will play out most intensely over the next few decades.