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Dr. Luís Abdón Cifuentes
Engineer UC,
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
CO-Nobel de la Paz 2007
A decade ago, when talking about climate change, the image of a starving
polar bear balancing on a patch of ice was used. Climate change remained
in the natural realm, and some discounted it, saying it was a luxury to
mitigate it to save species only valued by a small part of society. However,
that has changed radically in the last decade.
The catastrophes that Chile and many other countries have experienced since
2000 do not only affect nature. Fires, floods, and landslides have been directly
affecting people. The image of the polar bear has taken a backseat. Today, the
direct consequences on people are what concern us. It seems that society has
suddenly realized that it is always exposed to the onslaught of the climate,
exacerbated by anthropic changes.