GEO LAC 3 is an assessment of the environmental situation of the region, based on information available and reliable data, it acts as a vehicle to promote interaction between science processes and the various phases of policy and decision making. The study is a contribution of the UNEP to promote improvements in human wellbeing, and to add to the debate around the concept of environmental sustainability in a changing and evolving world, which today faces important challenges for its present and future development and wellbeing. The third report on the state of the environment in Latin America and the Caribbean is structured in five chapters. The first describes the main driving forces and pressures that cause environmental change that affects Latin America and the Caribbean. The second analyzes the situation of the state of the environment. The third evaluates the relationships and associations between environmental changes and human wellbeing. The fourth chapter presents four socioeconomic and environmental scenarios that can facilitate decision- makers’ adoption of positive actions in terms of mitigation and adaptation in the face of environmental challenges. The last chapter describes the tendencies that have characterized environmental policy in the region and the challenges that must be met to assure their contribution to a paradigm shift toward development that favors economic growth, the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, and the sustainable use of natural resources.