Climate urgency enables political alignment for Latin American power integration

Political fragmentation continues to block urgently needed power integration in Latin America, despite the region’s vast renewable energy potential. Using the Multiple Streams Approach (MSA), we argue that the escalating climate crisis now acts as a focusing event, aligning a pressing energy problem, viable integration solutions, and growing political will. This alignment signals that a policy window is currently open. We combine MSA with system modeling to quantify overlooked political costs of inaction—specifically, geopolitical tensions and erosion of trust—offering new leverage for policy entrepreneurs. Simulations for 2025–2050 show that continued fragmentation increases system costs by up to 7%, reduces resilience to hydroclimatic shocks, and concentrates benefits within narrow cooperating blocs under low-trust conditions. These measurable and rising costs underscore that regional energy integration is no longer just a technical or economic issue—it is a political imperative. Bold leadership must act now to seize this fleeting window of opportunity.