Chile’s New Constitution: Building For a Sustainable Future, Chris Gooding '22, February 2022 Issue

Home to volcanoes, the Andes Mountains, deserts, and one of the longest coastlines in the world, the South American country Chile has a rich and diverse environmental history. However, in recent decades, the future of Chile’s biomes has become threatened due to the dangers of climate change. Months of petitioning from Chileans demanding better laws has led to a landmark decision: Chile’s decision to write a new constitution in an attempt to solve its toxic environmental situation.

Much of the troubles have been caused by mining companies in Chile that are keen to extract the country’s rich natural resources, particularly lithium. Mining has caused a litany of problems, from the long-term environmental damages caused by mines to the displacement of indigenous groups. The constitution will aim to find a solution to the issue of mining, among other problems, by deciding how or if to regulate mining and determining who should receive the benefits of mining (besides the mining companies themselves).

Nonetheless, mining is far from the only environmental issue in Chile, as water has also become a hotly debated topic. Rivers and other large bodies of water have begun drying up due to the constitution of 1980 allowing the water rights of Chile to be bought and sold by third parties. Chilean protesters hope to regain their water rights and refill their water sources without being exploited.

One of the most fascinating and unique environmental beauties of Chile is the Atacama desert, located in the northern region of the country. The Atacama desert spans over 40,000 square miles, and interestingly, it is the driest desert in the world according to NASA, as it receives just one millimeter of rain per year on average. The region is also heavily exploited by mining groups, as nearly one-fifth of the world’s lithium supply hails from this desert alone. Extensive mining has even decolored the middle of the desert and robbed it of its natural beauty. One of the main goals of the new Chilean constitution will be to introduce new laws to help protect this desert.

The constitution will be written and signed by 155 people, the makeup of which is very significant. 17 of these 155 are Indigenous people, providing important representation that the group has often lacked in recent times. There is nearly an even number of men and women as well, as they want both gender’s voices to be heard. In addition, a large percent of the group are environmentalists, which will be key to institute new reforms to protect their land. By July 5, 2022, Chileans will have a new constitution that aims to protect not only the current generations, but future ones as well.

Chilean Flag. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica.