Chile’s climate protection performance is the best in Latin America and third best in the world, surpassed only by Denmark and Sweden.
Chile has been recognised in the Climate Change Performance Index 2023 that annually assesses the progress of nearly 60 countries in implementing policies to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, taking into account factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and climate policy. Chile also stands out for adopting a climate change framework law in 2022, where the country committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050, with specific policies to achieve it.
Now Chile’s climate leadership is to be highlighted in a new film launched on 24th of March on Amazon Prime UK.
‘I am The Earth. Stories from The Southern Edge of the World’, produced by Oscar-winning company Fábula and directed by Oscar-nominated director Maite Alberd, presents the stories of Chilean men and women who are leading concrete actions to mitigate the climate crisis, from different parts of this elongated country in South America’s Southern Cone.
The film takes the viewer on a journey through different initiatives and cases where Chilean men and women are contributing to mitigate the effects of climate change, from large-scale projects and scientific innovations to everyday citizen actions, all of which are collectively necessary. The documentary focuses on five thematic areas: sustainable agriculture; forest and biodiversity conservation; renewable energy; the water crisis; and astronomy.
Entrepreneur Cristián Sjögren, a central figure in ‘I am the Earth. Stories from the Southern Edge of The Word’ is the co-founder and CEO of AgroUrbana, VP of the Chile California Council and Member of Fundación Chile’s ChileGlobal Ventures Mentoring Network. He was also Latin America Director of First Solar, and a pioneer in Chile’s solar industry as the Founder of Solar Chile.
Located in Santiago, AgroUrbana is the first Chilean company to introduce vertical agriculture, which produces 100 times more per square metre than traditional agriculture. The revolutionary technology allows farmers to cultivate, making a 95 per cent saving in water use.
“The planet is going to have a population of 10 billion inhabitants by 2050; projections tell us we have to raise our current food production capacity by 70 per cent,” said Sjögren. “If we continue doing things the way we have up to now, this won’t be possible. And that is where the need arises to rethink how we farm to do more with less.”
Natalia Rebolledo and Nicolás Schneider, creators of Fundación Un Alto en el Desierto (A Stop in the Desert Foundation), are seeking to raise awareness about water care in the Coquimbo Region, especially in rural schools where there is a lack of drinking water. The network is made up of 30 rural schools that have recovered two million litres of water to create common green spaces, by installing rainwater storage systems and fog catchers, and reusing greywater. They have already installed 29 fog catchers over an area of 250 square metres. The area is one of the most important cloud oases in Chile and the region.
