Week 10: Extreme Weather


Chile is highly likely to experience extreme weather conditions, such as thunderstorms and heat waves. Since it has the Atacama Desert, which is the driest in the world, Chile has had ongoing droughts throughout the years starting in 2010. Chile has experienced a drought for over a decade that the World Resource Institute (WRI) even calls a "mega-drought". 

Wildfires have also worsened due to climate change and have affected other natural disasters. As a result of these extreme weather conditions, there has been a scarcity of water. Droughts have impacted Chile's agriculture and how they access water due to the limited amount and warmer conditions. 


Extreme weather conditions such as droughts, heatwaves, and even floods are worse for rural areas due to them being further away from support from the city of Santiago. It is expected that the Atacama Desert will continue to become drier and rural areas have less water availability. 


Some mitigation methods that the Chilean government has worked on creating measures that can help their citizens be able to adapt to the temperatures. Chile has implemented a Climate Change Framework Law that helps reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and implements climate change mitigation systems. Chile has been trying its best to be able to provide the best drinking water to all its citizens and better detect leaks and repair them. Chile has also implemented the Water Code Reform of 2022 which helps prioritize water consumption and sanitation to be able to provide water for those that need it. 


Sources:

https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/chile/vulnerability#:~:text=Chile%20is%20highly%20exposed%20and,those%20disasters%20on%20human%20populations.

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/climatechange/how-is-chile-building-a-resilient-future-for-its-forests-#:~:text=Chile%20has%20faced%20a%20severe,most%20water%2Dstressed%20countries%20globally. 

https://wmo.int/media/news/wildfires-cause-huge-loss-of-life-chile-amid-heatwaves-south-america

https://www.climate.columbia.edu/chile-argentina-climate-impacts-and-risk#:~:text=As%20a%20result%2C%20the%20Chilean,generated%20in%20Chile's%20Atacama%20desert.

Comments

  1. EasonApril 8, 2025 at 4:32 PM

    Hi Angelica,

    Your post was super interesting—thanks for sharing! I had no idea Chile’s been going through a “mega-drought” since 2010. That’s such a long time to be dealing with something that serious. It’s wild to think about how the Atacama Desert is already the driest place on Earth, and it's expected to get even drier. I also liked how you mentioned how rural areas are more impacted—makes total sense that people farther from Santiago would struggle more with getting help or access to clean water. It’s something we don’t always think about, but it's so important. It’s cool to see that Chile is actually doing something about it, though. I hadn’t heard of the Climate Change Framework Law or the Water Code Reform before. The idea of prioritizing drinking water and fixing leaks sounds like a smart and necessary move.

    ReplyDelete

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