In the field of environment the latest publications include: “Vulnerabilidad y adaptación de las ciudades de América Latina al cambio climático”; and "Inventario de instrumentos fiscales verdes en América Latina: experiencias, efectos y alcances”.

Among the activities, in April 2017, the countries of the region reaffirmed their collective commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development during the first meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development. The Forum, held annually, was created by mandate of ECLAC’s member countries during its thirty-sixth session – held in May 2016 in Mexico City – as the regional mechanism for implementation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda.

Also, in March 2017, ECLAC, in conjunction with the Government of Brazil, organized the Sixth Meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Principle 10). The purpose of the meeting was to reach an agreement on the rights of access to environmental information, participation and justice, which are found in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Rio + 20).

As part of the inauguration of the Conference of the Cities, held in the first days of October 2017 at ECLAC headquarters, the Regional Action Plan for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda was presented. This conference was co-organized by ECLAC, MINURVI and UN-Habitat. In this conference the Regional Action Plan for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean was presented. The document proposes interventions and actions, as well as relevant policies and priorities for the countries of the region, in the search of sustainable development of their cities and human settlements by 2036.

During the month of October 2017, ECLAC organized the Second Meeting of the Regional Conference on Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean, which was held in Uruguay. Among the resolutions, the countries committed "to promote the definition of a regional agenda of inclusive social development", within the scope of the social dimension of the 2030 Agenda.

In December 2017, in ECLAC's headquarters, convened the Eighth Meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the Regional Agreement on Principle 10, during which representatives of Latin American and Caribbean countries agreed to dedicate the protection of people fighting for the defense of human rights in environmental matters in the future Regional Agreement on Principle 10. At the meeting, government delegates, and experts from international organizations also made other important advances on the final text regarding legal issues. Among them, they agreed on articles on access to justice in environmental matters, and on capacity building and cooperation, and most of the general obligations.

The ECLAC agenda related to the environment mandates of the VII Summit of the Americas is extensive and include:

• “Vulnerabilidad y adaptación de las ciudades de América Latina al cambio climático”: where a theoretical and empirical revision of mitigation process and climate change adaptation is conducted in urban areas of Latin America.

• The book “Desarrollo e integración en América Latina”, with a chapter related with environmental regional integration.
• “Inventario de instrumentos fiscales verdes en América Latina: experiencias, efectos y alcances” which presents an inventory of the main actions, depicting successful cases, toward the implementation of environmental fiscal reforms.

For its part, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean resumed negotiations on March 2017 in Brasilia, toward reaching a regional agreement this year on rights of access to environmental information, participation and justice, enshrined in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Rio+20). Delegates from the 23 nations adhering to this regional initiative began the Sixth Meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Principle 10), organized by ECLAC and the government of Brazil.

In November 2016, ECLAC invited regional countries for planning the development through investments that could allow the structural changes in their economies through an environmental push, as a part of the activities of the Regional Planning Council, a subsidiary organ of ECLAC, which regulates the activities of the Latin America and the Caribbean Social and Economic Planning Institute.

ECLAC has conducted a great number of seminars and research papers on environmental matters. Among the seminars, we can mention: the "Seventh international seminar of ECLAC on the environmental footprint, sustainability of international trade and environmental standards", which represented an update of developments between climate change / sustainability and international trade, from the point of view of environmental standards. Meanwhile, the "International Seminar resilience of territories to climate change" November 2015, focused on the discussion of the following questions: What society will be tomorrow? What kind of development and quality of life? What form of production and consumption? What social cohesion and relationship with nature? What diversity and cultural richness? In addition, on October 2015 the "High Level Event on Climate Change: Countdown to the COP21: Current Challenges" was held, which was coordinated by the Delegation of the European Union in Chile together with ECLAC in order to expound on the current challenges in the environmental field and the position of the region at the next Conference of the Parties.
With regard to research documents, these include: "Styles of development, structural heterogeneity and climate change in Latin America" (December 2015), which analyzes the relationship between styles of development and the problems of climate change in the region. Also, "Adaptation and Mitigation measures to climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Overview" (December 2015) summarizes some of the main policy measures for adaptation and mitigation used and/or considered in the region. Meanwhile, "Environmental Tax Reform in Latin America" (December 2015), examines it from two perspectives: that of Latin America and the Caribbean and sustainable development. In "Climate change and agricultural activities in Latin America" (December 2015), a summary is presented of the potential effects of climate change on the agricultural sector, with emphasis on Latin America. Finally, the document "Financing for Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2014" (November 2015) quantifies the resources mobilized to tackle climate change in the reference year.

ECLAC continued working on the interrelationships between economic growth, environmental protection, urban development and social equity, with significant attention to the cross-cutting issue of climate change. Significant progress was also made in the study of the economic impact of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean through the delivery of the report Economic of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Analysis, research and technical cooperation services were provided to improve public policy formulation in the areas of management of natural resources, and the provision of public utility and infrastructure services with the aim of fostering sustainable development. ECLAC prepared a publication on Environmental Indicators of Latin America and the Caribbean.

ECLAC also continued to suport the promotion of integrated energy and sustainability policies, to include participation in the Energy and Climate Change Partnership of the Americas (ECPA); the publication of reports on renewable energy, energy efficiencies and bio-fuels; and the delivery of technical cooperation to ministries, organizations and other institutions in the region. ECLAC continued to support the use of the methodology “Tablero de Comando”, used for the formulation of policies for the sustainable production and use of biofuels.