Santiago Smog Causes Environmental Emergency for Chile

Last month, the capital city of Chile, Santiago, was plunged into a state of environmental emergency due to the looming clouds of smog that hovered over the city. On Monday 22^nd June 2015, the Chilean authorities forced over 900 industries to cease operations on a temporary basis and around 40% of the 1,700,000 vehicles which use Santiago streets to leave the car at home.

The emergency was the first one since 1999, and although it was only in place for 24 hours, around 300,000 vehicles were ordered to remain parked the following day. The regulations on cars meant that the subways became overloaded with commuters, causing the shutdown of several stations.

The Most Recent in a Consistent Crisis

Santiago has long had a problem with pollution, being situated as it is between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Winds coming off the sea blow smoke and smog from industries in Santiago, and from neighbouring towns and cities such as Valparaíso (the second largest city in the country). With the Andes acting as a natural barrier, the pollution has nowhere to go and becomes trapped hovering over the capital.

The problem has been exacerbated by the fact that it is facing the driest June in 40 years, which is typically one of the wettest months of the year. However, temperatures have still remained low, prompting inhabitants to use overly-polluting wood-burning heaters, which increases contamination greatly.

With no rain and little wind, small particulate matter (named PM2.5) is able to gather in the air and infiltrate the lungs and bloodstream of residents. The harmful substance has been linked to heart disease and lung damage, as well as the obvious environmental havoc it causes.

An Inopportune Moment

Of course, Chile is not the only country in the world facing a pollution crisis at the moment. The problems of Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and Malaysia are well-documented, although fortunately China (long regarded as the biggest offender of all) appears to be turning over a new leaf with regards to its air quality monitoring policies.

However, the first environmental emergency in almost 20 years couldn’t have come at a worse time for the nation, since they are currently hosting the Latin American football tournament Copa America. Indeed, the host nation played Uruguay in the quarter finals the Wednesday after the crisis, though no negative consequences resulted.

The regional director for Santiago, Claudio Orrego, has actually suggested that the tournament may be contributing to the pollution in an indirect manner. Militant protesters for other causes have been attempting to use the spectacle to draw attention to their own qualms by leaving burning barricades in the city’s streets, thus generating vast amounts of pollution. “These people not only have no head, they have no heart,” said Orrego.