I think Central/South America has good long term prospects, into the 2060s at least. Countries like Ecuador are making big moves to improve their future. While a lot of the changes are controversial and risky, I think it's likely to workout positively for some of them. With current population trends it's going to be one of the last regions to have maintain positive population growth. The aging populations, and the project population declines, of the world will cause incredible strain on the economy. Being several decades behind the global trends will give them an advantage on any manufactured goods not fully automated. The most political stable and globally connected countries in the 2030s and 40s will be the winners.
Political instability, crime/corruption, changing climates, and weak military power makes investment in the area high risk. It's hard to determine which smaller countries will be breakout successes. If this river is actually clean in 3 years, this is a positive signal for Ecuador.
Ecuador is in the middle of an existential war between the central government and drug gangs, I would say any court ruling here is more aspirational than functional, given the tenuous future of the rule of law.
Do they have enough money to clean it? Here in Buenos Aires we have a small river that is heavily contamined by old leather procesing, but removing all the mud with chrome from the bottom is toooooo expensive. We are just trying to stop adding contamination and improve the water flow to keep the oxygen level at a minimum that support some fishes.
Political instability, crime/corruption, changing climates, and weak military power makes investment in the area high risk. It's hard to determine which smaller countries will be breakout successes. If this river is actually clean in 3 years, this is a positive signal for Ecuador.