This article discusses the uncertainty about water quality in the Province of Chacabuco (Santiago Metropolitan Region) in Chile, a region marked by very strong pressure on the resource, both natural (drought) and anthropogenic (urban growth, agricultural intensification, industrialisation, and mining activity). Our main objective was, through an interdisciplinary research approach, to understand how the uncertainty concerning the state of hydro systems becomes central in the social representations of the inhabitants, since there is no consensus amongst regional stakeholders about environmental impacts nor is there evidence of pollution. By cross-referencing geochemical data on water quality and the inhabitants’ discourse on the resource, we identified those factors that create uncertainty about water resources: institutional lack of knowledge of the state of the resource, scientific difficulties in understanding the functioning of the hydro system, water and ground quality data that are difficult to interpret given the persistent drought, and the inhabitants’ distrust of data producers, in a context of planned regulatory zoning of polluting activities in the area. We also show the negative effects that the lack of trustworthy information has on the daily lives of local communities living near industrial infrastructures: anxiety, health concerns, and mistrust of drinking water, even though it is potable.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events. Adaptation strategies at societal and household level are crucial to reduce vulnerability. We assessed to what extent personal flood affectedness, in particular health impacts, influence adaptive behavior. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in northern Chile one year after a major flood event and assessed several dimensions of flood affectedness and adaptive behavior at the household level. After the event, a wide range of adaptation measures, including water storage and prepa-ration of emergency kits, had been implemented by 80% of the population.
Urban heat islands (UHIs) can present significant risks to human health. Santiago, Chile has around 7 million residents, concentrated in an average density of 480 people/km(2). During the last few summer seasons, the highest extreme maximum temperatures in over 100 years have been recorded. Given the projections in temperature increase for this metropolitan region over the next 50 years, the Santiago UHI could have an important impact on the health and stress of the general population. We studied the presence and spatial variability of UHIs in Santiago during the summer seasons from 2005 to 2017 using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery and data from nine meteorological stations. Simple regression models, geographic weighted regression (GWR) models and geostatistical interpolations were used to find nocturnal thermal differences in UHIs of up to 9 degrees C, as well as increases in the magnitude and extension of the daytime heat island from summer 2014 to 2017. Understanding the behavior of the UHI of Santiago, Chile, is important for urban planners and local decision makers. Additionally, understanding the spatial pattern of the UHI could improve knowledge about how urban areas experience and could mitigate climate change.
Climate change affects the dynamics of vector-borne diseases. Culex pipiens Linnaeus is the main vector of West Nile fever, a widely distributed arbovirus, it is continuously increasing its distribution. Using a species distribution model, maps of suitable habitats of Cx. pipiens were generated for Chile in the current climate and three climate change scenarios, using global and regional georeferenced vector presence records as input, plus bioclimatic variables. Since this virus has not yet arrived in Chile, the purpose of this study is to anticipate potential risk areas and to prevent the establishment and spread of the virus. Cx. pipiens is widely distributed in Chile. The suitable habitats in Chile were concentrated mostly from 32 degrees to 35 degrees S, increasing in future scenarios up to 113 % in the northern zone and moving towards the mountains. This species conserves around 90 % of its niche in the future, and shows a reduction of 11.4 % in the severe climate change scenario. It is anticipated that Chile will experience an increase in the environmental suitability for Cx. pipiens moving from the Andes to the coastal zone throughout the country, mainly in the center-south. This will raise the risk of local virus transmission if the virus is introduced to the country via diverse routes.
