As of today, Latin America still faces challenges regarding the environmental factors including agriculture, industrialization, deforestation, and the environment of the major cities of Latin America. Farmland used to grow an abundance of cash crops, such as coffee beans and bananas, and sugarcane. This is also the problem they face, depending on only one or two export products. But just as economic progression was progressing, their cash crops were destroyed by natural disasters in their area such as Hurricane Mitch, droughts, floods, and volcanic eruptions. Deforestation is the clearing or destruction of forests. Unfortunately, this theory has resorted to the disappearance of the citizens homes and lifestyles and traditions, as well as other for s of vegetation and animal life. Since the economy has had recent boosts for more natural resources, such as copper, petroleum, iron, and tin, they carved roads to open up access in and out of the forest. According to the text, more than 13% of the forest has been destroyed, even if these plants and forests are the key to medicines involved from the plants and animal species. This could also lead to global warming or climate change, where the carbon dioxide left in the atmosphere is not being used by plants.

The urban environment of Latin America also has issues that citizens face. Since rural worker often migrate to cities, the often cannot find jobs or appropriate housing. Some are forced to live in shantytowns, which are makeshift communities on the edges of cities. The placement of these shantytowns are dangerous, often placed on dangerous slopes or wetlands. The lack of fresh, running water, and air pollution affect the sanitation and health of these citizens, who contract diseases. Cities also face environmental problems involving rapid population growth and limited government and political services for the citizens. International agencies are addressing the needs of the urban areas, such as the water supply systems, expanded transportation, and neighborhood improvements.

Industrialization in Latin America has been limited due to several factors. The physical geography like the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Rainforests limit the access to natural resources needed. The new technology used uses a majority of the natural resources, draining them fairly quickly. To overcome these obstacles, they combine the necessary human and natural resources with stable governments and businesses, as well as industries.

As industrialization continues in the vitrine cities of Latin America, such as Tijuana, the impoverishment of society's economy and living conditions have affected both Latin America and the United States negatively. The industrial pollution, caused by chemicals contaminating waterways that led to both continents, has lead to the increasing rate of illnesses and diseases. The constant littering of streets and alleyways after rainstorms has congested the ocean to about 14 billion pounds of garbage every year. Along with the litter, oil has also seeped its way into the ocean due to oil leakage  from cars and unknown sources. Due to the factors produced by the pollution, tax payers use their current currency to clean the waters, resulting in the global economy's rate worth $12.8 billion a year in death and disease.