Social-Environmental Conflicts in Chile: Is There Any Potential for an Ecological Constitution?

Maite Berasaluce, Pablo Díaz-Siefer, Paulina Rodríguez-Díaz, Marcelo Mena-Carrasco, José Tomás Ibarra, Juan L. Celis-Diez and Pedro Mondaca
Additional contact information
Maite Berasaluce: Independent Researcher, Viña del Mar 2560000, Chile
Pablo Díaz-Siefer: Centro Regional de Investigación e Innovación para la Sostenibilidad de la Agricultura y los Territorios Rurales_CERES, Quillota 2260000, Chile
Paulina Rodríguez-Díaz: Programa de Doctorado en Geografía, Instituto de Geografía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Macul 7820436, Chile
Marcelo Mena-Carrasco: Centro de Acción Climática, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2260000, Chile
José Tomás Ibarra: ECOS (Ecosystem-Complexity-Society) Co-Laboratory, Center for Local Development (CEDEL) & Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Research (CIIR), Campus Villarrica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica 4930000, Chile
Juan L. Celis-Diez: Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota 2260000, Chile
Pedro Mondaca: Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota 2260000, Chile

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-25

Abstract: Social unrest is on the rise worldwide amid deepening inequalities, environmental degradation, and job crises worsened by increasing social-environmental conflicts. In Chile, a social revolt in 2019 resulted in a national referendum in 2020. An ample majority (78.3% vs. 21.7%) voted to draft a new constitution to replace the current constitution drawn up under dictatorship. The result led to the emergence and empowerment of several organizations demanding an “ecological constitution”. In this context, we aim to analyze: (1) the main social-environmental conflicts in Chile and how they are related to the country’s current constitution, and (2) the potential drafting of an ecological constitution that addresses these conflicts. Across different industries in Chile, we observed common problems that are intrinsically related to the current constitution. This relationship seems to be perceived by Chilean citizens since a survey carried out in May 2021 found 79% support for an ecological constitution. Moreover, 105 of the 155 delegates to the constitutional convention proposed three or more environmental principles to be included in the new constitution. A potential ecological constitution entails principles that would improve the current situation of social-environmental conflicts in Chile. Based on our analysis, we recommend the establishment of watershed-based “territorial rights” in the new Chilean constitution to improve sustainability and environmental justice.

Keywords: social turmoil; socio-environmental; water; land; indigenous; pollution; territorial rights; sustainability; environmental justice; environmental constitution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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