Chilean President José Antonio Kast has sparked a wave of national and international criticism by ordering the suspension of 43 environmental protection measures, the Environment Ministry confirmed this week.
The eliminated regulations cover industrial pollution standards, greenhouse gas emission limits, national park protections, and mining restrictions in ecologically sensitive zones.
"These excessive regulations were holding back the country's economic development," the government argued in a statement. The Kast administration maintains the measures will unlock over $8 billion in investments in the mining and energy sectors.
Environmental organizations and the opposition strongly rejected the decision. "This is a setback of decades in environmental policy," declared the director of Greenpeace Chile. Indigenous Mapuche communities announced legal actions to protect ancestral territories.
The scientific community warned that removing emissions controls could compromise Chile's commitments under the Paris Agreement. The country had previously stood out as a regional leader in climate policy, making this reversal particularly significant.