Regional Government Contribution to Santiago’s Climate Risk Adaptive Capacities

Abstract

Santiago is exposed to four significant climate hazards: floods, heat waves, landslides, and drought. Moreover, its segregation and unequal access to urban services are factors that exacerbate the region’s vulnerability to climate risk. The literature and specialized organizations, such as the IPCC and OECD, have emphasized the importance of city governments in cities’ adaptation to climate risk, provided that they can address urban vulnerabilities and enhance the city’s adaptive capacity. In Chile, significant decentralization measures were implemented in 2021; therefore, this essay discusses to what extent the new regional government institutionality contributes to strengthening Santiago’s capacity to adapt to climate risks. Although the current administration has promoted interesting initiatives to address this issue, Santiago’s ability to adapt to climate risk is limited, as the institutionality leaves Santiago’s government ill-equipped to address the city’s vulnerabilities and respond to climate risk. However, the new institutional framework opens possibilities regarding the capacities to articulate multiple actors.