Report on Water Resource Management and Mining in Chile’s Atacama Region

An Analysis Through the Lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Introduction: The Conflict Between Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability

In northern Chile, the extraction of copper and lithium, minerals critical for the global green transition, has created a severe conflict over water resources. This situation places Chile’s economic objectives in direct opposition to its environmental and social responsibilities, challenging the integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Escondida mine, the world’s largest copper producer, utilizes desalinated seawater, a strategy intended to preserve freshwater. However, this approach is contested by local Indigenous communities who report irreversible damage to their ecosystems and livelihoods, highlighting a critical tension between SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and goals related to water, ecosystems, and equality.

2. Water Depletion and its Impact on Life and Land

2.1. Threats to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 15 (Life on Land)

A 15-year mega-drought, exacerbated by mining activities, has led to a critical water crisis in the Atacama region. The conflict over water rights pits mining corporations against the local population, particularly the Indigenous Lickanantay community of Peine.

• Groundwater Depletion: Water extraction by mining has caused a significant drop in water table levels, leading to the complete desiccation of several wetlands.
• Ecosystem Degradation (SDG 15): The depletion of springs and surface water sources has diminished vegetation and biodiversity, damaging the delicate ecological balance of the salt flat ecosystem.
• Impact on Livelihoods (SDG 11): The degradation has rendered the area unsuitable for traditional cattle grazing, severely impacting the life systems of the Lickanantay community.

2.2. Legal Rulings and Institutional Accountability (SDG 16)

Chilean institutions have begun to address the environmental damage, holding corporations accountable for unsustainable practices.

1. An environmental court fined BHP, Albemarle, and Zaldívar $47 million for depleting the Monturaqui-Negrillar-Tilopozo aquifer.
2. The court ruled that the damage “negatively affects the Indigenous community of Peine, altering their systems of life and traditions,” a direct violation of the principles within SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
3. The ruling confirmed that the companies exceeded legal extraction limits, causing an unsustainable decline in the water table.

3. Desalination: A Solution with Significant Trade-offs

3.1. A Shift in Water Sourcing

In response to water scarcity and legal pressures, the mining sector is increasingly turning to seawater. Approximately 30% of water used in Chilean mining is now sourced from the ocean. Companies like BHP have invested billions in desalination infrastructure and ceased groundwater extraction from the Peine wetland. However, this solution is not without its own set of challenges impacting multiple SDGs.

3.2. New Environmental and Social Challenges

• Energy Consumption and Climate Impact (SDG 7 & SDG 13): Desalination is an energy-intensive process. With most plants connected to a national grid that uses fossil fuels, CO2 emissions are projected to reach 700,000 tonnes annually by 2030. This creates a paradox where a solution to a climate-induced problem (drought) contributes to climate change, undermining SDG 13 (Climate Action) unless powered by 100% renewable energy as per SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).
• Marine Pollution (SDG 14): The discharge of highly concentrated brine from desalination plants poses a significant threat to marine biodiversity. Local fishers in Antofagasta report that fish populations are dying, indicating a negative impact on Life Below Water (SDG 14).
• Inequitable Benefits (SDG 10): The Indigenous community of Peine reports that the desalinated water is used exclusively for mining operations and does not reach their lands to help restore the damaged ecosystems or support their livelihoods, thus exacerbating inequality.

4. The Global Context and Responsible Production

4.1. The Green Transition’s Demand on Resources (SDG 12 & SDG 17)

Chile is a primary supplier of copper and lithium, essential for renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles. The global push for a green transition is projected to increase demand for these minerals, escalating pressure on Chile’s water resources.

• Economic Reliance (SDG 8): Mining constitutes a significant portion of Chile’s GDP and is central to its economy.
• Responsible Supply Chains (SDG 12): The environmental and social costs in Chile raise questions about the sustainability of global supply chains. The pursuit of climate goals in developed nations must not come at the expense of ecosystems and communities in producing countries, calling for stronger adherence to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

5. Conclusion: A Call for Integrated and Sustainable Management

The situation in Chile’s Atacama region exemplifies the complex, interconnected challenges of the 2030 Agenda. The pursuit of economic growth (SDG 8) and the global green transition cannot be decoupled from the fundamental goals of providing clean water (SDG 6), protecting ecosystems (SDG 14, SDG 15), ensuring climate action (SDG 13), and reducing inequalities (SDG 10).

• The damage to the salt flats may be irreversible, threatening the cultural heritage and worldview of the Lickanantay people (SDG 11).
• While desalination is a necessary technology, its deployment must be governed by strict environmental regulations, powered by renewable energy, and planned in a way that benefits all stakeholders, including local communities.
• A truly sustainable path forward requires integrated water resource management and a commitment from both corporations and governments to uphold environmental justice and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses a complex situation involving water scarcity, mining, environmental degradation, and community rights in Chile, which connects to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  This is the most central SDG in the article. The entire narrative revolves around the conflict over water resources in the Atacama desert, the driest place on Earth. It discusses the depletion of freshwater reserves by mining, the impact on local communities and ecosystems, and the use of desalination as an alternative water source.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  The article connects the issue of water desalination to energy consumption. It points out that desalination is an “energy-intensive process” and that the plants are largely powered by a national grid that uses fossil fuels, raising concerns about CO2 emissions. This links the solution for water scarcity to the need for a transition to renewable energy.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article highlights the economic importance of mining, stating it “accounts for about a fifth of Chile’s gross domestic product.” However, it also implicitly addresses the challenge of decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, as the industry’s activities are shown to cause significant harm to water resources and ecosystems.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  This goal is relevant through the discussion of large-scale industrial infrastructure, such as the “vast pipelines” and desalination plants built by mining companies. The article examines the sustainability of this infrastructure, noting that while it represents a technological solution (desalination), it has its own environmental costs and needs to be upgraded to run on clean energy to be truly sustainable.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The article directly addresses the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, specifically water. The conflict between the mining industry’s water consumption and the needs of the local environment and communities is a core theme. The fines levied against companies for exceeding extraction limits underscore the push for more responsible production patterns.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  Climate change is mentioned as a key factor, with Chile being “ravaged by a mega-drought” that is exacerbated by the climate crisis. Furthermore, the article highlights how a potential solution—desalination—contributes to climate change through its CO2 emissions, linking local environmental issues to global climate action.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  The environmental impact of desalination is shown to extend to marine ecosystems. The article notes that “brine discharge from desalination poses a threat to aquatic biodiversity” and quotes a local fisher who says, “Fish populations are dying,” directly connecting the land-based industrial activity to the health of life below water.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The article provides clear examples of the degradation of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. It states that water extraction has led to dropping water table levels, endangering “springs, wetlands and surface water sources that support biodiversity.” The testimony that “Several wetlands have dried up completely, and the vegetation has diminished considerably” directly relates to the protection and restoration of life on land.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity.

   The article is centered on this target. The conflict over water in the Atacama desert, where mining companies and local populations compete for scarce resources, highlights extreme water stress. The article mentions that mining consumes “about 50% of regional reserves in the north,” and companies were fined for exceeding “legally permitted limits on groundwater extraction.”

2. Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.

   The negotiated agreement between the Indigenous community, the Chilean government, and the mining companies is an example of an attempt at integrated water resources management. However, the statement from the community leader that “the desalinated water does not reach our lands” shows that the management is not yet equitable or fully integrated.

3. Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.

   The article explicitly details the failure to meet this target. It describes how mining has caused “water table levels to drop, endangering springs, wetlands and surface water sources,” and notes that “Several wetlands have dried up completely.” The court ruling confirmed that mining activities damaged the Monturaqui-Negrillar-Tilopozo aquifer.

4. Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

   This target is relevant to the discussion on desalination. The article states that these plants are “energy-intensive” and that “Only a small share of these plants operate on renewable energy.” It suggests that a way forward is for the national energy grid to “complete its transition to renewables.”

5. Target 8.4: Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.

   The case of Chile’s mining sector, which contributes significantly to GDP while severely depleting water reserves and damaging ecosystems, is a clear illustration of economic growth that is not decoupled from environmental degradation. The shift to desalination is an attempt at improving resource efficiency, but it creates new environmental problems.

6. Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.

   The article discusses the mining industry’s investment in desalination infrastructure. While this is a technological upgrade, its sustainability is questioned due to high energy consumption from non-renewable sources and the environmental impact of brine discharge, indicating that the adoption of truly “clean and environmentally sound” processes is incomplete.

7. Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

   The entire article is a case study on the struggle to achieve this target. The over-extraction of groundwater by mining companies, leading to the depletion of an aquifer and the drying of wetlands, is a direct example of unsustainable management of a critical natural resource.

8. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

   The article shows a conflict in policy and planning. While addressing water scarcity (worsened by climate change) with desalination, the method chosen generates significant CO2 emissions, working against climate mitigation goals. This highlights a lack of integrated planning that considers all climate-related impacts.

9. Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

   The brine discharge from coastal desalination plants is identified as a source of marine pollution from a land-based activity. The article mentions this discharge “poses a threat to aquatic biodiversity” and that local fishers have observed that “Fish populations are dying,” directly linking it to this target.

10. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands.

    The article details the degradation of the Atacama’s dryland and wetland ecosystems. The depletion of groundwater has led to the drying of wetlands and a reduction in vegetation, impacting the “delicate ecological balance” of the salt flat and making the area “unsuitable for cattle grazing,” which affects local livelihoods.

11. Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.

    The damage to the salt flat ecosystem, the drying of wetlands, and the depletion of water sources that “support biodiversity” are all examples of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss resulting from the mining operations described in the article.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article provides several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Level of water stress (Indicator 6.4.2): The article states that mining accounts for “about 50%” of freshwater consumption from regional reserves in the north. A specific measure of over-extraction is the court finding that companies caused a “decline of the water table by more than 25cm.”
• Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time (Indicator 6.6.1): The qualitative statement that “Several wetlands have dried up completely, and the vegetation has diminished considerably” serves as a direct, albeit non-numerical, indicator of ecosystem degradation.
• CO2 emission per unit of value added (Indicator 9.4.1) / Total greenhouse gas emissions (Indicator 13.2.2): A specific projection is given: “CO2 emissions from Chile’s desalination plants could reach up to about 700,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually by 2030.” This is a direct indicator of the carbon footprint of the new infrastructure.
• Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption (Indicator 7.2.1): The article implies this indicator is low for desalination, stating, “Only a small share of these plants operate on renewable energy.”
• Domestic material consumption (Indicator 12.2.1): The projected increase in water consumption by the mining sector—”up by about 20% by 2034″—is an indicator of future resource use. The fact that “About 30% of the water used by Chile’s mines now comes from seawater” is an indicator of a shift in the type of resource being consumed.
• Impact on marine life (related to Indicator 14.1.1): While not a formal index, the testimony of a local fisher that “Fish populations are dying” is a qualitative indicator of the impact of marine pollution from brine discharge.
• Economic contribution vs. environmental impact (related to Indicator 8.4.1): The fact that mining accounts for “a fifth of Chile’s gross domestic product” can be juxtaposed with the environmental costs (depleted aquifers, dried wetlands, CO2 emissions) to assess the degree of decoupling.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: theguardian.com