Thousands of people marched in Santiago and other Chilean cities on Sunday to mark World Water Day, protesting the rollback of dozens of environmental decrees by newly inaugurated President José Antonio Kast. The demonstration, organised under the slogan 'Don’t Kast-igate Nature,' drew participants across 15 cities, according to organisers.
The decrees, signed by former left-wing President Gabriel Boric, had protected species such as Darwin’s frog and the Humboldt penguin, created national parks, outlined decontamination plans for Lake Villarrica, and regulated emissions from thermoelectric plants. Kast ordered the halt of 43 environmental protection regulations one day after taking office.
Cristóbal Rodríguez, national spokesperson for the Movement for the Defense and Access to Water, Land and the Environment, said 1.4 million Chileans still lack access to drinking water. He accused Kast of representing 'a setback that reflects his Pinochet-era roots' and of 'commodifying nature to levels never seen before.'
Kast defended his decision, stating, 'We want to generate the best possible public policy around full employment, always respecting the environment.' He acknowledged climate change but supports economic deregulation and prioritising technical criteria over what he calls 'environmental ideologies.'
Kast’s presidency marks Chile’s most right-wing shift since the end of General Augusto Pinochet’s 17-year military rule in 1990. Kast campaigned for Pinochet in his youth.
