BREATHING CLEAN AIR OR CHEAPLY HEATING YOUR HOME: AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE DILEMMA IN CHILEAN PATAGONIA

ABSTRACT

Cities in southern Chile face serious environmental pollution due to extensive use of firewood for heating and cooking. Lack of access to cleaner energy fuel, low-efficiency building materials, and a cold climate exacerbate the problem, which increases the deforestation of the native forests of Patagonia. While environmental justice research has established clear links between air pollution hazards and vulnerable populations, little is known about how this relationship influences the risk perception and adaptation strategies among all urban residents. This study assesses social vulnerability variables, indoor environments, and air pollution adaptation strategies in households located in the city of Coyhaique by monitoring households’ temperatures and conducting semistructured interviews with residents. Focused on interactions between people and their indoor and outdoor environments, this study reveals the microscale hazards and difficulties in overcoming the dilemma between breathing clean air and cheap heating as additional dimensions of environmental injustice. Keywords: air pollution, air quality perception, Coyhaique, environmental justice, firewood, spatial inequality.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the funds provided by the CONICYT and Universidad de la Frontera [FONDECYT 1190412, DIUFRO DI11-0073 and DI16-0051], which contributed to this research.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo [1190412]; CONICYT and Universidad de La Frontera [FONDECYT 1190412, DIUFRO DI11-0073 & DI16-0051].