ENVIRONMENT-CHILE: Less Natural Gas, More Pollution

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Gustavo González

SANTIAGO, Apr 22 2005 (IPS) - Chile is not only facing the threat of an energy crisis resulting from cuts in the supply of natural gas from Argentina, but also a severe increase in pollution in the capital, leading environmentalists to step up their criticism of the policies adopted in both areas by the Ricardo Lagos administration.

In Santiago, a city of almost six million, a "pre-emergency" pollution warning was issued at the beginning of the week, Apr. 17, and was quickly followed by a less serious "environmental state of alert" on Wednesday, Apr. 20, effectively crushing the official promises that these critical air quality episodes would be a thing of the past in 2005, thanks to progress made in pollution reduction plans.

"Severe air pollution episodes in Santiago have now begun a month earlier than in previous years, which shows the accuracy of the predictions that the environmental movement has been making since 2003 in the face of an imminent energy crisis," said Sara Larraín, director of the non-governmental Sustainable Chile Programme, in an interview with IPS.

Last year, the first pre-emergency rating was recorded on May 19. At the time, then mayor of Santiago Marcelo Trivelli declared that it would be the last year in which the city would suffer critical air pollution conditions.

Trivelli pledged that 2005 would be a year "free of pre-emergencies" thanks to the launching of the TranSantiago Plan, which encompassed new highways, bike lanes, an extension of the subway, and greater rationalisation of public transit, in addition to the retirement of old buses, stricter purity standards for diesel fuel, and a reduction in industrial pollution emissions.

From March to November – the southern hemisphere autumn, winter and spring – Santiago is one of the most polluted cities in Latin America, alongside Mexico City and Sao Paulo. During these months, a system is implemented by which 20 percent of the city’s conventional leaded gas-powered motor vehicles (which create 80 percent more pollution than vehicles that use unleaded gas) are kept off the road from Monday to Friday.

When air quality monitoring stations detect pollution indexes of more than 200 particles per cubic metre, an environmental alert is declared. The percentage of leaded gas-fuelled cars kept off the roads is raised to 40 percent, while roughly 100 stationary sources of polluting emissions, like refineries and other industrial plants, are temporarily shut down.

Readings of 300 particles per cubic metre lead to the declaration of a state of pre-emergency. During these episodes, 60 percent of leaded gas and 20 percent of unleaded gas-fuelled vehicles are kept out of circulation, 1000 stationary sources of pollution are closed, and schools cancel outdoor sports and recreation activities, because of the health hazards posed by the high levels of contamination.

One of the pillars of Santiago’s pollution-reduction programmes was the widespread adoption of natural gas for domestic and industrial use and to generate electrical power.

Beginning in 1995, Chile purchased natural gas from Argentina under bilateral agreements signed by the two countries to promote energy integration. But imports of natural gas have been significantly cut as a result of a supply shortage in Argentina, which has been hard-pressed to meet its own energy needs.

Chile had come to depend on natural gas for 40 percent of its electricity, generated in plants that can also be run on petroleum or hydroelectric power.

Nevertheless, in his optimistic announcement in May 2004, Mayor Trivelli ignored the deepening crisis in the supply of Argentine natural gas, which went through successive ups and downs throughout the rest of the year and grew even more severe in early 2005.

Chile used to import 22 million cubic metres of gas daily from Argentina, an amount that has now been reduced by a full 30 percent.

Moreover, Chile does not have the option of turning to another of the region’s major natural gas producers, Bolivia, which is wielding this energy resource as a bargaining chip in its efforts to negotiate with the Lagos administration an independent gateway to the Pacific Ocean.

The Central Bank of Chile is studying the potential impact on this year’s economic growth that will result from the combined effect of a reduced supply of natural gas and an increase in petroleum imports to compensate for this shortage, at a time of record high oil prices on the world market.

Added to the direct economic impact will be the increased public spending on health care, since high pollution levels in the autumn and winter lead to a rise in visits to doctors and hospitals for respiratory ailments, particularly among infants, young children and the elderly.

"The authorities’ goal of eliminating high levels of air pollution has been unsuccessful," Manuel Baquedano, president of the Political Ecology Institute, told IPS.

"President Lagos will not be able to reach the end of his term (in March 2006) without having to deal with environmental states of pre-emergency and emergency in Santiago, which are the most obvious manifestations of the natural gas crisis facing the country," he added.

According to Baquedano, the deterioration of air quality caused by emissions from industrial sources that are now running on petroleum due to shortage of natural gas will essentially cancel out any progress achieved through the TranSantiago Plan, including the extension of the subway system.

A study conducted by the Sustainable Chile Programme, based on official figures from 1998 through 2003, reveals that emissions of particulate matter, the main source of air pollution in Santiago, increase by 31 percent when natural gas is replaced by oil or coal.

Under these circumstances, sulphur dioxide emissions rise by 45 percent, nitrogen oxide by 34 percent, and other contaminants, such as carbon, by 23 or 24 percent.

"In view of this situation, which environmentalists have been predicting for years, the government should not only declare states of emergency to prevent detrimental effects on the population’s health, but should also move quickly to adopt measures to boost energy efficiency and promote the use of clean energy sources, especially in the electric power sector," stressed Larraín.

In addition to the decrease in natural gas supplies from Argentina and the increase in the use – and cost – of petroleum, Chile is also facing forecasts of limited rainfall.

This would basically rule out the possibility of turning to hydroelectric power to meet the country’s energy needs, in a year when experts are predicting gross domestic product (GDP) growth of around six percent.

"Even though it’s too late to avoid the imminent damage to public health and the industrial sector this year, the government can keep this from happening in the coming years by urgently establishing a strict energy efficiency and savings plan for public lighting, transportation, industrial production and household consumption," said Larraín.

"The energy sector has to tale action now to confront the crisis by investing in wind, geothermal and small-scale dams, as well as making use of the biogas that is currently going to waste in dumpsites," she added.

For his part, Baquedano criticised the government for relaxing environmental standards to facilitate the replacement of natural gas with petroleum. "Over and over again, we have seen the authorities sacrifice protection of the environment to cover up its poor decisions in the energy sector," he said.