Export of Pollution in Chile: Analysis of Sanctioning Procedures of the Superintendency of the Environment, 2013-2019

Abstract

The economic model based on the extraction and export of natural resources to countries that process raw materials, and the influence of the great powers or developed countries in this condition, has caused environmental deterioration. This research analyzes the data of the sanctioning procedures imposed by the Superintendence of the Environment of Chile between 2013 and 2019 to the holders of investment projects that failed to comply with current environmental regulations. It is found that the items with the highest number of charges filed correspond to export activities (mining, agriculture and livestock, manufacturing facilities, and fishing and aquaculture) whose fines for environmental non-compliance amount to almost 411,000,000 USD and are led, after Chile, by foreign investment capitals. It is argued that these companies from countries with better environmental standards do not apply the same operating conditions in Chile. This shows shortcomings in the implementation of state and business policies related to the countryÍ€™s sustainable development discourse.