Energy and Society: Dr. Kelly's Research with Local Communities in Southern Chile

Research Scientist, Dr. Sarah Kelly who leads Dartmouth's Energy Justice Clinic and serves as Associate Researcher at Universidad Austral de Chile, was recently featured in the regional Chilean newspaper, La Estrella de Chiloé. She spoke about her long-term research with the Mapuche Huilliche indigenous communities in southern Chile involving water and energy issues, and her new investigation about a series of large-scale wind projects located in the Piuchen Mountain Range. 

The local communities and nonprofits claim that the first installed wind farm, San Pedro, and associated infrastructure such as mountain roads, have considerably harmed the region's sensitive peatlands. 

Peatlands are essential for maintaining ecological balance. Acting like natural sponges, they retain water across seasons, providing vital resources during dry periods. Moreover, they serve as critical carbon sinks. The peatlands in the mountains perform a specific role of recharging water in the broader watershed. Residents of an affected island, which is designated in a water crisis, express profound concerns about how the power plant and other proposed wind energy farms might affect these vital resources that are crucial for both water supply and carbon retention.

Dr. Kelly, who focuses on the intersections of water, energy, and community relations, is exploring the impacts of wind energy projects on local ecosystems and indigenous and local populations. Through participatory research over the last ten years, she has documented the concerns of the Mapuche Huilliche communities and is assisting them in articulating these concerns to both legal and institutional authorities. 

"Globally, there are a number of large-scale renewable energy projects that have instigated significant conflicts in Indigenous territories," said Dr. Kelly. "These conflicts demonstrate that the terms of these projects – often capital and companies from the Global North – are untenable for local, ancestral communities. People in Chiloé may be against wind energy at this scale developed without meaningful participation. However, they stand for protecting biodiversity, water security, and ancestral relationships to territory."

Her extensive research into international environmental justice has revealed numerous socio-environmental conflicts in Chile, often rooted in a constitution established during a regime that dispossessed indigenous lands and water. Dr. Kelly has published articles on a systemic flaw in Chile's environmental evaluation process, wherein project developers are empowered to conduct environmental impact assessments in ways that often sideline meaningful local stakeholder engagement.

The existing system tends to prioritize corporate over community interests. Local communities, possessing deep regional, historic, and cultural insights, must seek legal avenues to claim their rights to consultation and participation in assessments. Unfortunately, even when consulted, they lack the power to veto projects that encroach on their territories.

In other nations, community sovereignty is a central theme in development debates. The International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169, also known as the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention of 1989, advocates for communities to have a say in territorial decisions. Such practices are yet to be effectively implemented in Chile; a recent article led by Dr. Kelly contributes to this debate.

Dr. Kelly remains committed to collaborating with the Mapuche Huilliche and local communities of southern Chile to amplify their concerns and ensure their voices are heard in shaping their ancestral lands' future. Further efforts aim to bridge gaps between community needs and environmental policies.