The socio-economic realities of Global South nations and the presence of the most biodiverse areas on Earth set the stage for complex global change dynamics in intertropical and subtropical regions. Economic development in these areas has been driven by population growth, urbanization, and integration into global markets—primarily driven by a resource extraction economy. This has placed immense pressure on the environment and created significant challenges for local communities, especially indigenous populations. As a result, extensive habitat degradation has occurred, which, given the region’s extraordinary biodiversity, constitutes a global biodiversity crisis. Forest loss, in particular, contributes substantially to global carbon emissions and weakens the planet’s capacity to sequester carbon, making the region a critical driver of climate change. Tropical nations now face the challenge of mitigating and adapting to climate change, especially in the face of severe droughts in subtropical areas. At the same time, they are tasked with pursuing sustainable and equitable economic development to ameliorate poverty while protecting nature and reducing carbon emissions. This presents a profound paradox: the need to develop Global South economies while safeguarding their invaluable natural heritage and cultural diversity. The biological and cultural diversity of the tropical regions, coupled with their economic relevance, gives their global change dynamics far-reaching consequences. Confronting the interlinked challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social justice for indigenous peoples in tropical regions is a defining challenge for our time.