According to Cooperativa, an analysis by Corporación Ciudades found that 41 of the 126 comunas (Chile's basic municipal units) most exposed to the climate crisis in Chile have not approved their Plan Comunal de Acción de Cambio Climático (municipal climate change action plan). The Ley Marco de Cambio Climático (Framework Law on Climate Change) has set this requirement since 2022.
The study cross-referenced municipal planning with the Índice de Riesgo al Cambio Climático (Climate Change Risk Index), a tool developed by the Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP, a private think tank). In total, it reviewed the country's 345 municipalities.
The national tally shows that 232 comunas (67%) already have the instrument. The remaining 113 municipalities (33%) are still pending and are at different administrative stages. Cooperativa does not specify which of the most exposed comunas make up the 41 without a plan, or what stage each one has reached.
These plans set out actions, targets and measures for mitigation (cutting emissions) and adaptation (preparing for impacts). "It means looking at what the threats are and preparing to adapt to climate change", explained Emilia Aguilar, editor of Cooperativaciencia.cl. According to Aguilar, the instrument helps anticipate events such as the heavy rains and flooding of recent days.
Corporación Ciudades focused on four threats: heat waves, wildfires, flooding and drought. The greatest vulnerability is found in the northern and central macro-zones. There, the critical points are areas with high population density and large tracts of farmland.
The source does not report deadlines for lagging municipalities to approve their plans, nor penalties for failing to do so. For now, 41 of the comunas at highest climate risk lack the instrument the law has required for four years.
