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What should Chile do?

1

Enhance NDC its to be 1.5 degree aligned by COP28:

To strengthen legislation related to NDC objectives and raise its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

  • Protection of Glaciers and impulse watershed management
  • Native Forest and Forestry Development law needs to be updated to protect and restore native species
  • The Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructure bill will ensure the protection of these elements in cities, considering that 88,6% of the population lives in urban areas
  • To strength conservation of ecosystems such as wetlands, oceans and coastal borders
2

Deepen the just energy transition

To deepen the just energy transition through measures that allow the creation of new jobs, respect:

  • To continue investments in electromobility and efficient infrastructure
  • Increase investment in lithium and green hydrogen projects that enhance R+D+I, while incorporating sustainability principles and enhance citizen participation
3

Differential impact of climate change on women and other vulnerable populations

To address the differential impact of climate change on women and other vulnerable populations

  • Enhance women’s access to natural resources, taking into account the 32% gap in land ownership and 17% in water rights
  • Make determined efforts to tackle structural

What you need to know about Chile?

Climate Change Vulnerability

  • The country meets 7 of the 9 criteria established by the UNFCCC for climate change vulnerability.
  • Chile is facing a 14 year drought. There is a 60%-80% deficit in relation to historical average rainfall and river flows at historical lows. In consequence, there are many active socio-environmental conflicts as a result of water scarcity.
  • Chile officially submitted their Long Term Strategy to the UNFCCC on 3 Nov 2021.
  • The government adopted the “Just Hydric Transition” approach, forming an Inter Ministerial -Committee in October 2022. They aim to create and support pilot Basin Councils to address water-related challenges through intersectoral and citizen dialogue.

Green finance

  • The Ministry of Finance has recently created a Green Finance Office, which is in charge of channeling investments towards green assets. In 2021, the country issued its first Sustainability Green Bonds
  • Since 2019, Chile has issued US$7.700 million in green bonds
  • In 2022, The Ministry for the Environment launched the Nature Fund Chile, a public-private foundation aiming to mobilize and manage resources for large-scale conservation.

Recent developments, threats and levers for action

Recent developments

Climate Change Law

  • Chile became the first country in Latin America to legally establish carbon neutrality by 2050.
  • It requires the establishment of information, monitoring, reporting and verification systems in order to check the progress of the Long Term Climate Strategy. It also norms different issues such as resilience and climate change adaptation, water security, among others, and it recognizes the progressive and non-regressive principles
  • State bodies haven’t met deadlines set in the third transitory article of the Climate Change Law for issuing regulations. As of August 2023, only 8 of 23 required regulations are approved by the Council of Ministers for Sustainability and Climate Change.

Escazú Agreement

  • Regional environmental agreement, the first of its kind in Latin America. Its aim is to ensure the access to environmental information, participation and justice, as well as to ensure activists wellbeing
  • Chile became a State Party in September 2022.
  • The government presented the Escazú Participatory Implementation Plan (PIPE) at the COP2.
  • The government is working on a Protocol for the Effective Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Matters.

Strengths

  • Decarbonization of the energy sector through renewable energy, electric buses and coal phase-out
  • First country in Latin America to establish carbon neutrality by 2050 by law
  • No oil and gas production potential
  • Chile’s Turquoise Foreign Policy positions the country as a significant player in climate change mitigation, ocean and ecosystem protection

Opportunities

  • The implementation of the Escazú Agreement will pave the way for better information availability and public participation in environmentally matters.
  • Geographic potential to promote non-conventional renewable energies
  • Current government is favorable to the climate change agenda as well as political consensus towards energy transition is growing.

Weaknesses

  • Climatic vulnerability is pending, impacting crucial areas such as water supply or urban disasters.
  • Public agenda is being defined by other topics that are emerging in a complex global scenario, such as economic crisis, migratory problems, crimes and inflation.
  • Insufficient state funding for protected areas may hinder effective policy implementation and the enhancement of biodiversity protection standards.
  • Public agenda is being defined by other topics that are emerging in a post-pandemic scenario, such as economic crisis, migratory problems and crime
  • The pandemic has changed political priorities and boosting employment and economic growth are at the core of policy decision-making
  • Neighboring Argentina’s expanding natural gas production has made transnational gas pumping more accessible and attractive to Chile in the face of the energy transition

Threats

  • The lack of clarities on the constitutional process might not solve the social discontent, while political divisions are deepening
  • Global energy transition agenda could impose industrial projects with negative local socio-ecological impacts, specially regarding lithium and green hydrogen.
  • Despite new legislation is advancing, denial is present in negotiations regarding environmental legislation projects.

About Climate Diplomacy Snapshots

The data is clear. Accelerated and enhanced action is needed now to build resilience and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. As they seek to address the ongoing health, economic and social impacts of COVID-19, the Ukraine-Russia war and growing climate change impacts, governments should seize opportunities to invest in a recovery that will build social, economic and climate resilience on the long-term. The Climate Diplomacy Snapshots aim to provide the climate community with a clear overview of what each country should do, on climate and recovery, to pursue these joint objectives and keep the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C. Each has been prepared with the help of national experts, and will be regularly updated. The snapshots aim to support climate advocacy in the lead up to COP28.

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