Chile drops climate summit amid widespread unrest

Chile has cancelled a major UN conference, which has already been moved from Brazil.

Chile has cancelled this year’s major UN climate conference scheduled for Santiago in December due to unrest sparked in part by the cost of measures to tackle climate change.

The country has also cancelled a meeting of APEC leaders due for next month.

The UNFCCC said it was looking for a new location for the troubled 25th annual meeting.

Chile was chosen to host the conference after Brazil pulled out following the election of President Jair Bolsonaro.

READ MORE: Melbourne protests: Activists rally outside global mining conference | PM’s $1bn energy bet should include ‘clean coal’ | Morrison’s $1bn clean energy bet | Police eye Extinction Rebellion showdown

Costa Rica was due to share the conference with Chile but pulled out because of cost pressures.

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said the decision to cancel the conference had “caused him a lot of pain” but that his government needed “to prioritise re-establishing public order”.

UNFCCC Climate Change executive secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said she had been “informed of the decision by the Government of Chile not to host COP25 in view of the difficult situation that the country is undergoing”.

“We are currently exploring alternative hosting options,” Ms Espinosa said.

Chile has been plunged into weeks of civil unrest sparked by proposed rises to the cost of public transport and electricity.

A riot police fires tear gas to disperse anti-government demonstrators in Santiago, as Chilean President Sebastian Pinera cancelled two major international summits after nearly two weeks of nationwide protests. Picture: AP

The rises were due in part to measures designed to make the transport and electricity systems less polluting to combat climate change.

At least 19 people have been killed in 13 days of unrest, more than 1000 injured and over 380 supermarkets have been looted, a third of the total in the country.

The metro system has run a partial service after more than 70 stations were damaged and security forces imposed a curfew for the first week.

Climate change groups have seen the Chile protests as a reason for greater action.

“The mobilisation that we are seeing in Chile and other countries in the Latin America are clear evidence of the need to implement transformational changes of the current development paradigm towards a new model of development based on social justice and environmental sustainability which can be clearly achieved by implementing the proposals of the IPCC 1.5°C Report,” said Alejandro Aleman, Climate Change officer, Centro Humbold, Nicaragua and Co-ordinator for Climate Action Network Latin America.

The Climate Action Network said “irrespective of where and when COP25 takes place, we will continue to pay close attention to the situation in Chile to ensure that the overarching principles of social justice and human rights are protected, especially also in the COP”.

Oxfam Latin America deputy director, Asier Hernando, condemned what he said was the heavy-handed response of the Chilean Government to the protests.

“The same flawed economic policies that have sparked protests on the streets of Chile are fuelling the global climate crisis and the global inequality crisis,” Hernando said.

“Urgent action is needed by governments to build economies that put people and the environment before economic growth and corporate profits,” he said.

Oxfam Australia’s Climate Change Policy Adviser Simon Bradshaw said he expected COP25 to go ahead with a new host as soon as possible and that people would be working around the clock to find a solution.

“As a global community, we are very quickly running out of time to dramatically curb global climate pollution before it is too late to prevent truly catastrophic climate damage and millions more people being driven into poverty,” Dr Bradshaw said.

“Australia’s neighbours throughout the Pacific as crying out for greater action from Australia, as they are facing ever more grave threats to their livelihoods, security and wellbeing from sea level rise, salt water intrusion and more destructive storms. Whatever happens with COP25, Australia must immediately step up its efforts.”