translated from Spanish: Climate change: what Chile can (and should) contribute

“The consequences of climate change are irreversible” and “a red alert for humanity.” These are the lapidary sentences that describe the current environmental situation around the world, according to the latest UN report on Climate Change. And that is the reality on which we, in politics, must work at an accelerated pace: the consequences of this climate change will be evident in our homes, in our cities, in our fields, in our jobs, and also in our economic structures.
The good news is that Chile has already begun various efforts in this direction. Our country has had a leading position at COP25, and among the commitments it has made, is the declaration of intentions – and also actions – to be carbon neutral towards the year 2050. We also have serious efforts to close the last coal-fired power plant in 2025 – with a bill on the subject, which has already been approved in the Chamber of Deputies; our Urban Wetlands Law, which defends these ecosystems from the appetite of real estate companies, or different reforestation and arborization plans that depend on Conaf, and the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture. However, the seriousness of the scenario demands greater efforts.
In this emergency situation, of course it is the spaces of life in society where decisions are made, such as politics, and also economic power, who have the floor. However, and of course, economic power is limited to complying with the laws and regulations that have been established; so all eyes are already on, and will be, on the steps taken by governments and parliaments around the world.
The truth is that climate change is happening very rapidly, across the board, and it is getting worse by the day. So these are some strong ideas of how, from the state administration, we can address the challenge.
An inescapable task is to strengthen the protection of the existing ecosystems in our country, and the reconstruction of those that have been destroyed. And for this, deepening reforestation is essential. This idea is a basic starting point: the destruction of natural ecosystems occurs exclusively by human predation, coupled with negligence or lack of policy tools in establishing control, as happened, for example, with the destruction of our wetlands; or with the burning of hectares of native forest, leaving land that is later used by the real estate industry.
Another goal that we can consider, is that our public transport systems make a qualitative and quantitative leap. Today there is absolutely no incentive for people to prefer public transport, to the detriment of their own means of getting around, the car. In this task, it is not at all necessary to invent the wheel: we must look at the experience of successful countries in urban transport, contrast these realities with our own, and assess whether it is necessary to spend more, or whether we have problems with the design or management of resources. Finally, it is perhaps necessary for a greater proportion of the Transantiago Mirror Fund in regions to be earmarked for transport.
It is also necessary for our country to continue advancing in clean and sustainable energy; this is not the case with hydropower, which advances at the cost of altering or destroying the lives of entire communities, as well as thousands of hectares of ecosystems. The future, clearly, depends on the generation of energies such as solar and wind. Chile has already made progress, because today more than 20% of its energy production comes from non-conventional renewable energy plants, but it is not enough.
At last I think it is necessary that, as legislators, we have a clear picture of climate change, in the sense of what are the strengths and weaknesses of our country to combat it, and what are the areas where we are most concerned; in this way we will be able to contribute to our task, which is to legislate. For example, to know that the activities that generate the most polluting gases in Chile are the generation of electricity, followed by land transport; and thirdly, there is the livestock industry, which, coincidentally, has no regulation in this regard.
For all of the above, we express from the National Congress our commitment, so that these and other ideas, are materialized in concrete bills. In others, you will be able tothe Executive also made its contribution, through the initiative of the President of the Republic as co-legislator. In environmental matters, the eyes of the world, and also those of the country, will be on noble political activity. My invitation, to my parliamentary peers and the government, is that we rise to the occasion.

The content of this opinion column is the sole responsibility of its author, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of El Mostrador.

Original source in Spanish