English

With the aim of disseminating the main topics of the study “Circular Cities for Chile” and sharing the local initiatives that are contributing to the sustainability and resilience of Antofagasta, the second conference was held within the framework of the research developed by Enel Chile together with the Extension Center of UC Davis Chile and the collaboration and sponsorship of the Ministry of the Environment.

The event organised by Enel, the Eurochile Business Foundation, the Regional Government of Antofagasta, and the University of Antofagasta brought together important speakers from the public, private, academic, and civil society, who discussed the vision of a circular city, a new urban model whose advantages have been exposed in the study, which focuses on the transformation of the energy, construction and food sectors.

The head of the Planning Division of the Regional Government of Antofagasta (GORE), Iván Maturana, raised how Antofagasta has been combining with that industry that has characterized it as a city and with other social factors, among them, the integration of migrants.

“The city requires thinking, it requires acting, based on a strategy that we have to do from this; strategy that we must generate between the public world, the private world and, above all, taking citizens into account”, he explained.

In line with the above and in a complementary way, the president of the University of Antofagasta, Marcos Cikutovic, remarked that collaboration between the different sectors, and mainly, the academy, is key. He also highlighted the role of the circular economy in the design of the cities of the future, in the current context of health crisis that the planet is experiencing, which must, he said, give way to an economic and sustainable development model.

The executive director of the Eurochile Business Foundation, José Aravena, also reflected on the central theme of the event. He agreed that the circular economy is a shared commitment and circularity is a prerequisite for climate neutrality.

In that context, he recalled that Eurochile carries out a series of initiatives and projects in different regions of the country based on European knowledge and experience, making Chilean SMEs aware of the opportunities that the transition towards a circular growth model offers them, supporting them in the path of adapting their production and marketing processes to this new paradigm in order to meet the growing demand for circularity that will come from the market or from public regulation.

To have a real impact in the fight against climate change, it is necessary to expand the scale of the circular economy, affirmed the Executive Director of Eurochile, “going from the pioneers to the main economic agents and from companies to society. It is within this framework that we greatly value the Circular Cities for Chile research developed by Enel. Different key players meet in cities for a successful transition to the circular economy. Here, companies, academia, public institutions, and civil society interact, what better place to discuss an agreed strategy to achieve a climate-neutral and efficient society in the use of resources, because, ultimately, it is the commitment of society that depends on the success of this crucial initiative”.
In the event, the head of Circular Economy at Enel Chile, Natalia Correa, presented the main results and scope of the study “Circular Cities for Chile”. The research identifies circularity opportunities for the economic sectors of energy, construction, and food, while proposing interventions based on the principles and business models of the circular economy for Santiago, Concepción and Antofagasta.

“We know that cities face many challenges, because they are increasingly complex systems, but in the case of Antofagasta they have a tremendous opportunity. It is still a small city and there is time to avoid the design mistakes that were made in other cities in the world,” she stressed.

Governance

The first session moderated by the Executive Director of Eurochile Business Foundation addressed the implementation of public policies and governance for the Circular Economy. At the beginning of the dialogue, the Regional Ministerial Secretary of Environment, Fernando Varas, highlighted that -within the framework of the Climate Change Law – one of the areas where efforts are focused on is reducing polluting emissions on waste, which, he said, has a direct link with the circular economy about the final disposal of organic waste.

The collection and recycling of tires is regulated by the Law of Extended Responsibility of the Producer and Promotion of Recycling, soon to be implemented in January of next year according to its regulations. In this regard, Varas said that there are already several initiatives that were approved by the Environmental Impact Assessment System.
The other priority product of the EPR Law is containers and packaging whose debut will be in September 2023, for which the local companies are preparing.

“These companies are requesting fundings to install a recovery plant in our area. What we do in Antofagasta is collect and transport waste to the city of Santiago or to the central area of the country for recycling. What we need is for the infrastructure to be installed in the Antofagasta region, “he said.

The Vice President of the CChC Antofagasta, Andrew Trench, who lamented that even in Antofagasta there is no infrastructure for the recycling of construction waste, even though the union has been noticing it for seven years. However, he mentioned the work of the CChC together with GORE to move forward on this point, since, according to Trench, they have detected that there is a significant potential for impact.

In this field of action, he commented that Clean Production Agreements (CPA) are being promoted, integrating all the companies in the construction area and with other key players involved, such as the Sustainability and Climate Change Agency, the academy, partner companies and waste management companies.

From the academy, the director of the Center for Circular Economy in Industrial Processes (CECPI) of the University of Antofagasta (UA), Ingrid Jamett, pointed out that the demand for circularity requires investment in R+D+i, and the importance that from the communities understand and install the concept of a new human development based on the circular economy model and contribute from there.

“We must invest in R+D+i, but we have to promote it with a focus and objectives that provide the possibility of combining these actions. We are not going to develop great technology; we cannot bring and buy what people tell us will work. For this, we must develop ourselves technically within the university and in society,” she stressed.

At the event, Jamett highlighted what in terms of recycling photovoltaic panels project they are carrying out with Solar Circular, an initiative supported by the Corfo Antofagasta with fundings from the Regional Government.

This project proposes the generation of protocols and technical and economic standards to enable the second-life market for these functional and non-functional modules, together with an installation manual.

One of its inputs is a study financed by Enel, which will allow obtaining answers about module failure rates, how many are seized, what conditions they are in, and how companies can dispose of them safely for the environment.

“Solar Circular has to do with the possibility of giving a different functionality to photovoltaic modules, perhaps, in another field of application, perhaps with less quality of energy generation. We don’t know, because there is no data and that is where the academy is entering generating this data, for example, in the application of green solvents, why don’t we use them?”, she said.

Initiatives and Transformation

The second session ‘Innovative Solutions for a Circular Antofagasta’ began with the director of Valora Alimentos, María José Larrazábal, told how the project was born together with other academics and professionals from various disciplines of the University of Antofagasta. In 2020 this group got together with the objective of recovering and valuing food waste generated in vegetable and fruit trading centers in the region, such as La Vega Central of Antofagasta and the Terminal Agropecuario of Calama.

The food safety expert commented that they had to carry out a data collection for the first stage of implementation of food waste management for the associated premises, which gave way to a classification into three categories: food suitable for human consumption, food partially recoverable and processed food for animal nutrition.

According to Larrazábal, Valora Alimentos has also developed a book of recipes prepared with recovered foods (leaves, stems, peels, etc.) that are usually thrown away and that is aimed at the entire population. Along with this, the project has launched two opportunity food banks, aimed at entrepreneurs, where business lines based on the circular economy are proposed.

For more than ten years Creo Antofagasta, urban planning and coordination office, has been working for the sustainable development of the city. Its executive director, Nicolás Sepúlveda, was one of the guests that spoke about the SARA programme, Antofagasta’s Recycled Water System, which is emerging as a viable and sustainable technology in the face of, he said, the environmental impact generated by desalination plants.

This new look at addressing water management in the city and the region has been taking shape for about seven years which, he remarked, is generating changes in public policies at the national level.

One of the many benefits of generating recycled water, mentioned Sepúlveda, is that “you stop irrigating public spaces with desalinated water, whose desalination plant is powered by energy that comes from a thermoelectric plant, generally, that works on coal in Mejillones.”

The SARA system, by allowing different points of treatment plants, saves resources in the distribution network, therefore, possible green areas are generated in different places, at a value that, in the case of sewage, is a third or half of the desalinated water, and in the case of gray water it is up to a twelfth.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to double, at least, the public spaces of our city with green areas and generate greater comfort. In Antofagasta, the measures are 2.7 square meters of green area per person, which is very low compared to the official recommendations of 8 to 10 meters,” he stated.

The CEO of Ecorayén Foundation, Pamela Pérez, explained the scope of the activities that they have been developing for eight years, in favor of the city’s environment, through educational spaces focused on children and older people, promoting recycling, self-cultivation and composting through workshops and guided tours, promoting the reuse of materials, transforming them into parks and family recreation spaces for educational purposes.

In the task of raising awareness, Pérez has carried out several workshops in the field of construction, innovating construction of domes made with tires. For now, this environmental education laboratory is in an alliance with Enel that seeks to make an eco-furniture store available for the inhabitants of Antofagasta. “We are very grateful because they (Enel) came to us to offer us this huge project that we believe is super important for what we are doing. With this eco-furniture store, we seek to educate the entire population of Antofagasta about how we can build furniture, how we can use pallets, but also how we can create furniture for the community”, she explained.

In this context, within the measures that Enel proposes in its study “Circular Cities for Chile”, is building with reused materials, reducing the use of virgin materials, and favoring those that are low in carbon, with valued and local contents.

Other circular projects in the city are led by the person in charge of the Environment and Cleaning of the municipality of San Pedro de Atacama, Leticia González, who has been in the area since 2020.

One of her first tasks was the installation of a municipal recycling spot. Then, the mayor decided to collaborate with a group of researchers from Católica del Norte University with a project for a solid waste energy recovery plant. For the municipality it was the opportunity to recycle, through the pyrolysis system, the tires that for years were piled up next to the sanitary landfill of the commune.

To date, Leticia specified, 1.3 tons of tires have been treated and a biofuel, gas, carbon black (material for various uses) is obtained and additionally -because it was not contemplated at the beginning- steel was obtained. “All tires come with a steel material, and it turned out to be a fourth material that can be valorized from this process, where you enter the tire into a chamber, apply pressure and temperature in the absence of oxygen. It is not an incineration, so CO2 is not produced because it is an anaerobic system. We are very happy because it worked,” she added.

The experience has motivated the municipality to continue the project with financing from the SQM company and the next goal is to further refine the biofuel before it is used in a car.

At the end of the conference, the Regional Governor, Ricardo Díaz, valued the initiatives and stated that environmental problems must continue to be faced with efficient and sustainable actions in a collaborative manner.
“We must be able to assume the commitment to be a region where we are all responsible for our waste. This means stopping consuming so much, we must change our practices, assume that we live in the driest desert in the world and, therefore, we cannot throw away water as we do. We must understand that our deserts are not garbage dumps, that there is nature there, and therefore, understand that we must pay for our waste. This implies a whole change of mentality that we are not going to achieve immediately, we need to commit ourselves to generating this dynamic, with community discipline in each act we carry out,” he said.

At the recent COP27 held in Egypt, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) brought together the main stakeholders of the sector seeking to combine criteria on how to accelerate the shift towards greater sustainability and achieve the goal of halving its carbon emissions to 2030 and reach Net-Zero no later than 2050.

The balance of the event was positive in the words of the executive director of the UNWTO, Zoritsa Urosevic: “We are proud to see the way the Glasgow Declaration has inspired our sector into action. Unlocking finance and developing measurement frameworks will be critical to scaling-up our support and continue accelerating climate action for resilience.”

Climate action refers to efforts to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen adaptive capacity to climate-induced impacts. An area of work in which the Spanish Kepa Solaun is a specialist, who since 2004 has advised a series of projects through Global Factor where he is Founding Partner and CEO.

Solaun was invited by Eurochile to participate – remotely – in the Seminar “Climate Change and Tourism”, organized by the Undersecretary of Tourism and Sernatur and where successful experiences of mitigation practices and measures were shared. It was the opportunity to present the results of the measurement of the impact of climate change in the tourism sector of Spain and Montenegro that his consultant carried out.

As Solaun explains in an interview with Eurochile, “within the projects developed to date focused on aspects of mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the tourism sector, these two countries seemed to be good examples of the application of different methodologies for calculating GHG emissions. In both cases, the focus of the study was national, but the starting data made it necessary to carry out different approximations to arrive at the estimate of GHG emissions from the sector”.

The Global Factor study focused on calculating CO2 emissions and for this it applied different methodological approaches to measure the carbon footprint depending on the country. What are the two visions and why were they used for these experiences?

To estimate the sector’s GHG emissions, two different approaches can be taken. On the one hand, an approach from above – below or top down, and on the other, an approach from below – above or bottom up. In the first case, work is done with macro tools, almost always of an economic nature, that allow working at the country level. In the second case, the starting information is that of the sector, such as, for example, energy consumption, kilometers traveled or waste generated per tourist or per average stay. This second approach is used above all when working with a local or regional scope.

Normally, the application of one or another methodology responds to the type of information available, as well as the objectives that are to be achieved with the study. In the case of top-down methodologies, the approach tends to be more strategic and long-term, to set macro action paths for the sector. In the second case, when the information available is more specific, it makes it possible to identify reduction measures in the short term and to estimate their impact with greater precision than with the top-down approach.

How was the process for accounting and preparing GHG reports?

These types of studies always have a certain degree of complexity and it is necessary to establish hypotheses and assumptions, based on information and existing expert knowledge. For this reason, at Global Factor we normally look for the work teams to combine both experience in calculating GHG emissions and their methodologies, with specific knowledge of the sector and of the country or region where we are going to carry out the study.
The key in the process is the gathering of information, since it is the basis for everything else. This phase of the work is also usually the one that lasts the longest. Based on the information, the treatment and calculation phase begins, in addition to the contrast with sector and local experts.

What results gave the measurements with each methodology?

In both cases, the GHG emissions associated with tourism in both countries were estimated. The difference is that in the Spanish case there were no specific activity data (i.e fuel consumption or km travelled) and in the case of Montenegro they did. The aim of both studies was different, so this was not a problem. In the first case, the aim was to propose a long-term roadmap for the sector to deal with climate change and in the second case, a methodology was sought that could be applied annually to measure the effect of the measures that were defined from the first emission results.

You have said that the carbon footprint is not only about the results, but also about what can be done with it, for example, share, control, reduce, compensate. What would be the best option?

The estimation of GHG emissions is always carried out in order to identify ways to reduce them. Of course, it is important to inform and carry out periodic follow-ups of the same, but the reduction is the ultimate goal of the calculation, everything must start there.

However, not all emissions are refutable with current technologies, so there is an option to offset them with reductions that occur elsewhere. There are internationally recognized standards, such as the Gold Standard or Verra, which certify that these emission reductions are taking place and control that they are not used more than once.

Global Factor has launched a new initiative this year called OffCarbon, through which we are promoting the development of projects that reduce GHG emissions that can be certified and used to offset.

Some experts warn that the focus to combat climate change should be on adaptation rather than mitigation. What do you think? If so, which roadmap would be the most effective for the tourism sector?

Climate change is producing a series of impacts to which it is necessary to adapt, and its future evolution indicates that they will be more intense and frequent as time progresses. However, the cause continues to be GHG emissions, so we cannot ignore the importance of continuing to make efforts to reduce emissions. As the Paris Agreement made clear, both aspects are essential and complementary in many cases.

As for the tourism sector, the focus should be twofold. Address, on the one hand, the reduction of GHG emissions with measures that support the decarbonisation of the sector, through energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable transport. But without forgetting to carry out an analysis in each case of how climate change can affect tourism and establish strategies to reduce its vulnerability to future climate. Here, unfortunately, I cannot point to a common roadmap, since it depends a lot on each region, both on the characteristics of its tourism and on the climate projections that are available for the area.

How is a mitigation or adaptation plan financed? How important is the advice from the public and private sectors?

To answer the question, I am going to differentiate what is the phase of elaboration of the plan itself, from what is the implementation phase. Obviously, the second phase is the one with the highest associated costs. Different actors usually intervene in its financing, many of the actions will be promoted by the private sector. From the administration it can be supported through incentives, such as financial aid or instruments that serve to recognize those most involved, in addition to the application of obligations regulated by law.

At the international level, there are also numerous bilateral and multilateral organizations that are supporting decarbonisation and adaptation to climate change, through donations or loans, among other economic instruments. In addition, public-private collaboration also allows a better application of the planned measures and there are many countries that are already making efforts in this regard.

On the other hand, technical advice is key, both in the first phase of preparation of the plan itself, and later in its implementation. A series of technical studies are needed, such as carbon footprints and GHG emissions inventories or climate risk analysis, which must be carried out by professionals who know and use the appropriate methodologies.

Taking into account the economic effects that the pandemic brought on the tourism sector worldwide, what are your projections for climate change in the short or medium term? Could they be more negative if the sector is reactivated without doing so in a sustainable way or is your vision optimistic?

It is a difficult question to answer. The situation that the sector has experienced with the COVID pandemic has been extreme and sudden, with no time or capacity to adapt to the situation. Undoubtedly, if the commitment to reducing GHG emissions is not continued, climate change will lead us to a future of extremes. However, changes occur gradually, which allows us to establish strategies to strengthen our ability to adapt to them. Furthermore, the steps taken in the last decade towards global decarbonization, as well as the increased general awareness, make me optimistic. Currently, the international commitment, both from public and private actors, to reduce GHG emissions are clear. Technological advances in this sense are already being important and I believe that their development in the following years will be even greater, offering solutions in those areas where the reduction of emissions is more complex.

A key issue here will be the tourist’s sensitivity to the topic and to what extent they will push for changes in the direction of sustainability.

Chile is the first developing country to have a Climate Change Framework Law. How can you capitalize on this milestone in the tourism sector?

The Framework Law on Climate Change approved in Chile is a very important step for the different sectors of the country, including tourism. The Law establishes the goal of carbon neutrality and resilience for 2050, an ambitious objective that is in line with many international initiatives and that offers many options for the country’s development in environmental, economic and social matters.

This milestone could allow the Chilean tourism industry to take fundamental steps in the development of a responsible and respectful activity with the environment, through different lines of action and concrete measures that require the commitment of all the key players within the sector. The Law will promote a modern and resilient transformation of the tourism sector, from transport to construction or the way of doing tourism until now.

The tourism industry in all its fields may register in the public registry of GHG emissions proposed by the Law, as well as obtain certificates that confirm the reduction or absorption of gases through the implementation of projects in Chile for this purpose. In addition, it will promote the modernization of its infrastructures, through an implementation of constructions based on energy efficiency, which will support a more sustainable, profitable sector thanks to green energies. Uniting sustainable technologies tourism in Chile is possible, to also create an economically viable and environmentally friendly ecosystem.

What is your opinion of the work that Eurochile Business Foundation develops within the framework of the Circular Economy Roadmap?

The transition from a linear to a circular economy is a complex process that requires a significant transformation in the ways of producing and consuming, and without the collaboration of organisations like Eurochile it would be impossible to achieve it. Only in this way is it possible to consolidate joint strategies to promote this progress towards circularity and innovation within the economy, and everything that this directly and indirectly entails.

The work that they are developing from the foundation to promote, especially, that the private sector knows and has the possibility of developing a Circular Economy Roadmap will also support the consolidation of links with Europe. All of this will help to further drive, supporting the international dissemination of this economic, energy and climate transition and fostering collaboration between companies, as well as exchanging experiences and strengthening environmental entrepreneurship through cooperation.

From now on, where should the efforts be placed to make the tourism sector in the world more resilient to climate change?

The sector should already have reasons to be resilient, since its own competitiveness and, in some cases, its survival are at stake. Consider, for example, winter sports tourism in areas where you will have to rely almost exclusively on artificial snow. But something similar happens in different sun and beach destinations.

The question is to what extent the sector is prepared to look at the long term and make decisions to reduce that vulnerability now. In a large part of the sector, the focus is almost exclusively on the short term and it is not in a position to strategically address this type of future challenges.

Here, public and private institutions play an essential role in disseminating information and providing tools to visualize and understand the expected impacts and design measures to address them preventively.