Chile
Chileans grapple with legacy of 2019 protests 5 years later
In October 2019, huge protests exploded across Chile. They began against increased public transportation fees, but they soon grew into the largest protest movement the country had seen since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Those in the streets dreamed of transforming the country, but five years later, reforms have yet to be made.
Fast fashion is causing an environmental disaster in Chile’s Atacama Desert
Some 59,000 tons of unwanted clothing arrive in Chile each year from places like Europe, Asia and the United States. But because it is illegal to dump them in landfills, they often end up in places like the Atacama Desert in the north of the country, where they harm the environment.
Chile tries to protect its ‘flowering desert’ from climate change, tourists
Parts of the Atacama Desert have turned into a blooming carpet of flowers — an incredible sight that only happens a couple of times every decade. To protect the phenomenon, Chile’s president has announced the creation of a new national park.
Chileans have long struggled with a water crisis. Management practices are partly to blame, study says.
For years, people believed that climate change was to blame for the water shortage. But a recent study published in the Switzerland-based journal Water found that this shortage was not only due to the megadrought, but has also been caused by water misuse and management practices established under the country’s current legislation.
A growing number of clerical sexual abuse survivors are coming forward in Latin America
Latin America may become the next region to expose childhood clerical sexual abuse. Some victims have spent decades without coming forward because of the importance given to clergy in the community. But a growing number of people are creating support networks for survivors.