User:Dcorrea.cal/sandbox

Water Pollution
Much of Chile’s water resources are privatized due to the 1981 Water Code which created a market based on water rights. Water is treated as an asset where once an individual or private company receives water rights, they can choose to sell or rent water. The concentration of water resources in the hands of a few corporations has resulted in Chile having the highest water rates in Latin America. Nearly 90% of the water rights for hydroelectric production are owned by three companies. There are more water rights that have been issued than there are reserves in some parts of the country which has led to the drying up of groundwater resources. This shortage has particularly affected the rural and indigenous population of Chile. The mining industry has had a considerable impact on the environment of Chile. One region in particular that been significantly impacted is that of the Atacama Desert, which is considered one of the driest regions in the world. Mining requires a large quantity of water, with much of this water coming from groundwater supplies. Dust from mining operations can also accelerate the melting of snow deposits on the Andean glaciers. This puts a considerable strain on snowmelt water supplies which harms the rural communities living in the Atacama. Another source of pollution results from the mining of lithium within some of the lakes in the region. This has the potential to affect local flamingo population as they are reliant on the lakes as a source of shrimp.

Air Pollution
Increased economic activity has resulted in a degradation of Chile’s air quality. Santiago, the capital city of Chile, is surrounded by mountain ranges which facilitates the accumulation of pollutants from car emissions and industrial development over the region. Hospitals become overcrowded as a result of respiratory related problems each year in Santiago. The air pollution in Santiago has resulted in an average of 20,000 people suffering from respiratory problems every year. It is common to use wood for heating in the southern portion of Chile, which tends to experience cold temperatures, as it is less costly than gas or electricity.

Sabrina Article Feedback:

I think overall it was good to focus on the specific types of pollution. I think you can also focus on the national parks and see how they are affected such as Torres Del Paine and El Chalten in Patagonia. In class we watched the video that was in relation to the Patagonia dam that was being built. You could possibly include how this would affect the environment. In addition, you could break down the affects of the environment by region if you wanted to include more and find possible graphs to show the breakdown of what is emitted into the environment.