• Chile, facing severe climate challenges including megadroughts and wildfires, is taking proactive steps to combat pollution, particularly in addressing plastic waste contaminating oceans.
• Chile has joined the IAEA’s NUTEC Plastics initiative, utilizing nuclear energy for sampling and analyzing microplastics, showcasing innovative recycling technologies.
• Despite lacking a fully-fledged nuclear energy program, Chile has utilized existing nuclear capabilities for medical and scientific purposes, signaling a commitment to exploring nuclear solutions for environmental challenges.

Chile is no stranger to the climate crisis the world is facing. With their megadroughts, floods, and over 4 million acres burned in the past decade, the foreign minister Alberto van Klaveren Stork is eager to take action. Pollution is a key issue globally, and one that has just worsened throughout my short lifetime. Akin to the discovery of Godzilla and then him wreaking havoc shortly after being unearthed. While solutions have been slow to materialize, the normalization of nuclear energy offers a promising remedy on the horizon.

What’s being done

Pollution exists in a number of forms but the one we are talking about today is plastics, specifically those contaminating our oceans. These plastics disrupt ecosystems and harm the inhabitants. Studies show that only around 10% of plastic produced before 2015 was recycled and another 60% of that ended up in landfills. One may wonder, where might the other 30% be accounted for? There’s estimated to be 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish. This is where Chile comes in. Chile is considered to be one of the longest countries in the world with a coastline of over 4,000 miles. Due to their lengthy coast, Chile has stepped up to take action towards a cleaner future.  

Chile’s climate crisis has played a key role in their signing of the International Atomic Energy Agencies (IAEA) NUTEC Plastics initiative. The severity of microplastic pollution prompted the IAEA to launch this scheme in 2020, with a goal of over 50 laboratories designed to utilize nuclear energy to sample and analyze microplastics. This innovative approach has garnered interest from 60 countries,with at least 30 of these working on developments in novel recycling technologies. These processes are employing gamma and electron beam radiation technology to break down plastics for recycling into new products.

One Step at a Time

Although Chile lacks the use of nuclear power, they have had a reactor in place since 1974. The RECH-1 reactor is located at La Reina Nuclear Centre in Santiago. The reactor is currently harnessing other uses such as the development and production of radioisotopes for medicine. While plans are said to be underway in developing a nuclear energy program, one has not yet been established. Either way we can note the advances Chile is making towards a better future.