On Dec. 17, Chile said no to a proposal to change the country’s Constitution, with 55% of voters rejecting a second try at reforming the country’s fundamental law. The first attempt was rejected in September 2022 by a 62% majority. The drive to rewrite the Constitution arose in 2019, as a political response to civil society protests that shook Chile for months, as people demanded an end to inequality, expensive health care and education, low pensions and a neoliberal system that seemed to benefit only the wealthy. The protests even led to Chile withdrawing last minute from hosting COP25. Chile’s current fundamental law dates back to 1980 and the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and has been blamed for paving the way for privatizations, a booming business sector, and an economy focused on extraction and exploitation of Chile’s numerous minerals, while minimizing social rights and the role of the state. A puma in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. Image by Cristian Sepúlveda. Eighty percent of voters voted for an end to this Constitution during an initial referendum in 2020, and a predominantly progressive body began writing a new proposal in 2021. The result was a draft that favored the environment, promised higher climate action ambitions and stronger recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights. In an entire chapter focused on nature and environment, the proposal acknowledged the rights of nature, the obligation of repairing environmental damage and the state’s obligation to prevent, adapt to and mitigate the risks, vulnerabilities and effects of…This article was originally published on Mongabay
The post Chile again rejects Constitution rewrite; experts say no big loss for environment appeared first on EnviroLink Network.