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ANALYSIS: Chile urged not to lose environmental steam after cancelling UN talks
(Reuters News, 1 Nov 2019) Researchers and activists urge Chile to keep up momentum to address climate change and ecological damage, which are among the grievances fuelling social unrest.
Chile's decision to quit as host of December's U.N climate talks, to focus on dealing with violent social protests, has undermined the Latin American nation's efforts to craft a green, progressive image on the world stage, environmentalists said.
Against a backdrop of civil unrest, which began in mid-October, the Chilean government announced on Wednesday it would withdraw as the venue for the U.N. climate conference, dubbed COP25, with little more than a month to go.
"This is a sad moment," Chile's Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt told media. "While it was a painful decision to take, it is also a responsible and necessary one," she added.
The conference would have been the first globally significant environmental gathering to be held in Chile, with the country set to strengthen its climate change commitments in line with an already announced plan to phase out coal power.
The cancellation of the meeting on Chilean soil left a sour taste for many researchers and climate activists.
But Schmidt confirmed Chile would at least retain the presidency of the event, which has been hastily moved to Spain.
Reuters News, 1 Nov 2019: ANALYSIS: Chile urged not to lose environmental steam after cancelling UN talks
