Holding a major international summit on climate change against a backdrop of civil discontent like the kind that has rocked Chile might have given the world the impression that issues like clean energy can be addressed without also confronting problems of social justice
Holding a major international summit on climate change
against a backdrop of civil discontent like the kind that has rocked
Chile might have given the world the impression that issues like clean
energy can be addressed without also confronting problems of social
justice. So last month, in the midst of massive protests on
cost-of-living burdens and other inequalities, Chile withdrew as the
host nation of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25).
Instead, COP25 will convene next week in Madrid, Spain. Despite this
decision, Chile's commitment to maintain its presidency of COP25 through
next year hopefully signals a turning point in climate action—one that
further steers Chile and the rest of the global community to recognize
connections between social and climate crises, and to support climate
policies that do not leave anyone behind.
This year,
Chile made bold moves to limit climate change. In September, it launched
a broad alliance that encourages nations, regions, cities, businesses,
and investors to accelerate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and reduce vulnerability to the effects of climate change. And although
Chile contributes a mere 0.25% to global carbon emissions, its proposed
nationally determined contribution (NDC)—the reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions that are at the heart of the international Paris Agreement
to limit global temperature rise—was formulated with Chile's own
national agenda of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
Achieving
a net zero carbon footprint will require one of the fastest coal
shutdowns of any country because the fuel accounts for about 40% of
Chile's electricity generation. The Mitigation Plan for the Energy
Sector is aligned with goals set in Chile's 2050 energy strategy, which
has a renewable energy generation target of at least 60% by 2035. Thanks
to an Electromobility Strategy, Chile operates the largest electric
urban public bus fleet in Latin America, with plans to achieve 100%
electric public transport by 2050. These are examples of necessary
short-term actions to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C. In the
meantime, a Climate Change Law proposal is under discussion. It is the
first Latin American law that formulated a carbon neutrality goal in
conjunction with the scientific community. It also proposes a Scientific
Council and a Civil Society Council to expand input into policies and a
Regional Committee on Climate Change to develop local climate action
plans.
But dealing with climate change will require not
only technical and practical transformations in sectors like energy and
transportation, but also social transformations. Climate change
amplifies social inequities. Sea level rise, droughts, heat waves, and
wildfires, among other hazards, affect food, water, air, land, energy,
and other securities. Some groups are affected more than others,
depending on where they live and their ability to cope. What is needed
are “green transitions” that support people who live in poverty and in
indigenous communities with limited resources, as well as those in urban
communities struck by higher energy costs and air and water pollution.
How
can climate action advance a more sustainable, fairer, and united
Chile? Goals, technologies, and policies surrounding climate must be
discussed in the context of their impacts across the income
distribution. For example, in Chile's updated NDC, a new aggressive goal
to reduce up to 30% of carbon emissions by 2030 was created to address
the huge pollution problem associated with cities mainly in the south.
The complete coal phase-out program was agreed upon in a roundtable
where the government, private sector, local authorities, and civil
representatives discussed a transition process that is sensitive to the
health and employment of those affected most. And the inclusion of the
water security was given priority to address a 10-year drought that has
afflicted 70% of the population.
Although the civil
protests in Chile contributed to the decision to hold the climate
conference elsewhere, the result will hopefully send an important
message: Nations cannot address development and prosperity without
addressing climate change, and vice versa. Hopefully, the social crisis
in Chile will be brought to bear on COP25 in Madrid and the way
countries make decisions, including those related to a low-carbon and
more resilient economy.
Source :
Carolina Schmidt is the Minister of Environment of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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