Could Chile be a climate leader?

The renowned climate scientist and IPCC author Maisa Rojas has
been making headlines after being appointed as Chile’s new
Minister for the Environment. She has pledged to deliver a green,
sustainable and resilient future – and a ‘just transition’ to
renewables from an economy that has to date been reliant on
mining, forestry and agriculture. The legacy of General Augusto
Pinochet has cast a long shadow over Chile, so one of the first
hurdles is a vote on a new constitution in July which would ease
the passage of new climate legislation. The new government of
leftist leader Gabriel Boric also faces a divided Congress, and
will need to galvanise support for a radical new agenda. Chile
has vast potential for solar energy and hydropower, providing the
infrastructure is in place to transmit it to different parts of
the country. Can the government play a leading role globally in
shifting to great dependency on renewables – and closing down
coal-fired power stations in the coming decade?


Presenters Kate Lamble and Mora Morrison are joined by: Maisa
Rojas, Minister for Environment for the Chilean government and
climatologist Claudia Heiss, head of political science at the
Institute of Public Affairs at Universidad de Chile. Dr Álvaro
López-Peña, consultant on energy transition, CEO ALP Sustainable
Energy


Producer: Serena Tarling and Darin Graham Researchers: Natasha
Fernandes and Frances Read Reporter: John Bartlett Series
Producer: Alex Lewis Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Editor: Nicola
Addyman