The Government of Chile has announced a new district energy strategy to improve air quality. Air pollution is responsible for 4,000 annual cases of fatal cardiovascular disease nationwide. This costs the economy US$8 billion a year in medical expenses and lost. The Government of Chile announced the adoption of a new district energy strategy to improve air quality for its citizens at the Third Sustainable Energy for All Forum, a meeting of around 1,000 high-level representatives from government, business and civil society to push for action on universal access to clean, affordable energy.
Air pollution is responsible for 4,000 annual cases of premature death from cardiovascular diseases in Chile, costing US$8 billion per year in medical expenses and lost labor productivity, according to the first environmental report from the Ministry of Environment 2014.
“Our cities are struggling to tackle air pollution from burning firewood for heating. This is causing an urgent health crisis for our citizens,” said the country’s Environment Minister Marcelo Mena. “District energy provides the infrastructure to use diverse clean, local energy sources for heating, such as waste heat, geothermal, and heat pumps, helping to address air pollution.
“In collaboration with UN Environment and its partners, we have initiated Chile’s first district energy strategy. This strategy will set in motion the policies and investments required to demonstrate and scale up this solution in our cities and regions. We are considering up to US$60 million in soft loans and financial instruments to support this vital solution as part of our sustainable heating strategy.”
Temuco, a city of 290,000 inhabitants in Chile’s south, is one of the cities that has signed up to receive support from UN Environment’s District Energy in Cities Initiative, a public-private partnership. Temuco’s air quality is the third-worst in Chile, with dangerous pollutant concentrations five times higher than World Health Organization standards. Some 94 per cent of this air pollution is attributed to wood burning for heating single-family homes.
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