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Chile


History and Objectives

Work on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) IES program in Santiago, Chile, began in March 1999. The objectives of the project were to aid government officials and other stakeholders in understanding the air pollution reduction benefits of clean energy technologies that have the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and to build in-country capacity to conduct co-benefits analysis of integrated measures.

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Team

The Chilean research team for Parts 1 and 2 was based at P. Catholic University in Santiago. Dr. Luis Cifuentes led the team and coordinated the health effects analysis and economic valuation work for the project, while Dr. Héctor Jorquera coordinated the air quality analysis. Juan Pedro Searle from the National Environmental Commission (CONAMA) served as the Chilean government representative overseeing the project.

The team for Part 3 of the IES-Chile project consisted of the Chilean National Energy Commission (CNE), Dr. Raul O’Ryan from the University of Chile, EPA, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

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Methodology

The project contained three parts.

Part 1 and 2: The first part analyzed the health impacts of implementing air quality improvements in the Santiago metropolitan area from CONAMA’s Climate Policy Scenario for 2000-2020, a national-level study used to support national-level policy for GHG mitigation in Chile. The second part focused more specifically on analyzing mitigation measures under consideration in the Santiago Decontamination Plan, the air quality management plan for the city. The team analyzed specific measures from the plan for their impact on public health as well as a range of additional integrated measures, such as fuel switching and increasing energy efficiency in buildings and in the transport sector, that would improve air quality and reduce GHG emissions.

Part 3: The goal of this phase was to assist the Chilean government with further development of clean energy strategies, calculating the effects of policy changes on energy security and environmental impacts.

One factor encouraging this work was recent legislation on energy security. This legislation encouraged small suppliers of natural gas to enter the energy system, in response to the continual threat of natural gas shortages caused by Chile’s primary supplier. The analysis examined human health and agricultural benefits from GHG and local air pollution reductions, and sustainability targets such as energy security, energy independence, and social development goals

The analysis identified the costs and benefits associated with further expansion of renewable energy technologies on Chile’s two-grid energy distribution system. The IES co-benefits analyses interfaced with Chile’s current policy needs on issues such as the development of a renewable energy set-aside, renewable energy portfolio requirements, and environmental benefits from generated electricity.

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Study Results

In October 2000, the team released a report detailing anticipated benefits from adopting integrated measures. Results indicated that for the period 2000-2020, an estimated 2,800 deaths would be avoided cumulatively due to improved air quality. The team produced a final report (PDF) (68 pp, 460K, About PDF) in December 2001, as well as a report on the analysis of specific measures. This work has contributed to the establishment of an integrated analysis framework in Chile and has applied that framework to demonstrate significant potential for co-benefits from integrated measures.

For the next phase of analysis the team released a final report (PDF) (111 pp, 2.5MB, About PDF) in April 2006, that evaluated the costs and benefits of nonconventional renewable energy sources for Chile’s electric system.

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Meetings and Presentations

Part 1 and 2: At a workshop in October 2000, the IES-Chile team briefed policymakers from the national and regional government bodies (CONAMA and CONAMA Metropolitan Region) on the results of the study and the importance of integrated strategies in policymaking. The workshop consisted of a seminar on the co-benefits of mitigating air pollution and a discussion at a policymakers' roundtable, both of which advanced Chilean policymakers’ knowledge and understanding at both the national and municipal level regarding the potential benefits of developing local air quality policies that also consider the impacts on GHG emissions. This meeting for policymakers was held back-to-back with a meeting of the World Bank’s Latin America Clean Air Initiative, where the Chile team and representatives of CONAMA were given the opportunity to more widely disseminate their methodology, analysis, and results to other municipal decision-makers and experts participating in the Clean Air Initiative program.

The IES-Chile team also presented results of the IES study at several international workshops. One of the more important milestones for Chile was presenting the preliminary interim report of the IES-Chile project at the Fifth Conference of the Parties (COP5) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, Germany, in November 1999 in a side event entitled “Public Health Benefits of Improving Air Quality Through Cleaner Energy Use.” In March 2000, the team presented results at the “Expert Workshop on Assessing the Ancillary Benefits and Costs of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Strategies” in Washington, D.C. Finally, in November 2000, the team presented results at a side event at the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP 6) in The Hague.

Dr. Cifuentes presented results in a special experts meeting of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiologists in 2001, 2002, and 2003. This meeting brought international experts together to address air pollution and health impacts in developing countries. He also assisted in a special one-day side session at the meeting for energy and health experts from several Asian countries supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development to begin exploring IES analytical models and how they can be applied to projects to analyze air pollution, health benefits, and GHG mitigation benefits in those countries. Finally, Dr. Cifuentes participated in scoping meetings held in Hyderabad, India, and Manila, Philippines, as a health impacts expert to assist the technical teams as they prepared their IES work plans.

In June 2001, Dr. Héctor Jorquera gave a presentation at the Air & Waste Management Association’s International Urban Infrastructure Forum on efforts by the Chilean research team to use the results of their study to affect policymaking.

As part of the IES project, Dr. Cifuentes developed the Air Pollution Health Effects Benefits Assessment (APHEBA) valuation model and user guide consisting of an exposure module, a health effects module, and a valuation module. The APHEBA model is an integrated assessment model designed to evaluate the benefits or costs associated with changes in atmospheric pollutant concentrations in a given location and time period. It allows comparison of a base case and study case for a selected pollutant.

Others in the international IES community are now benefiting from the health effects modeling expertise that has been developed in Chile. The model has been “exported” to other IES participants through technical exchange with team members in China and Brazil. Chile hosted a Chinese health team in July 2001 for a two-week training period to familiarize them with use of the model and to help modify it for use in Shanghai. During this time, Dr. Cifuentes also provided in-depth training and technical assistance to the Shanghai team that enabled them to conduct the valuation part of their analysis. He also assisted the India health team in their health assessment phase of the IES project.

Part 3: Experts from government and major research centers convened in December 2005 to review methodology and preliminary results of the third phase in preparation for developing the final analysis and final report. The meeting agenda (PDF) (1 pg, 12K, About PDF) is available, as well as the Expert Report (PDF) (13 pp, 302K, About PDF) created during the meeting.

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Outcomes

In large part due to the IES project, the regional office of CONAMA has recognized the importance of an integrated air quality planning process and is considering several measures suggested by the IES team for revising the Santiago Decontamination Plan. The regional CONAMA has also acknowledged the significant capacity built at P. Catholic University in the course of the IES project by awarding Drs. Cifuentes and Jorquera a five-year contract as a “Center of Excellence” to continue air quality analysis.

On an individual level, Dr. Cifuentes received a Climate Protection award from EPA for his internationally and domestically recognized IES work in Chile at the Earth Technology Forum in March 2002.

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Conclusion

The IES-Chile Program has made significant progress in raising awareness of the benefits of an integrated approach to air quality planning among Chilean policymakers. Integrated measures are now being considered in the revision of the Santiago Decontamination Plan. Significant research capacity has also been built within the team at P. Catholic University, as illustrated by the recognition of the value of the APHEBA model, not only in the Chilean analysis but as a tool that can be applied around the world. The award of the five-year contract to P. Catholic University is an acknowledgment by the regional government of both the technical expertise the IES team has and the valuable contribution their research has made to the policy process.

In related work by another Chilean government agency, the Executive Secretariat Commission for Planning of Transportation Infrastructure Investments (SECTRA) received $7.4 million (U.S. $) from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to support reduction of GHG emissions from vehicles in Santiago by promoting a long-term modal shift to more efficient, less polluting forms of transportation. The specific measures, which are similar to the IES measures, include reducing private car use and promoting public transportation ridership through road pricing measures; encouraging replacement of old buses with cleaner, low-emission buses; increasing the use of bicycles and other non-emitting modes of transportation; and laying the groundwork for more energy-efficient travel patterns through land-use changes such as relocation of education and shopping facilities. Projects are expected to be implemented by 2010.

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Documents

Contains documents generated through the IES-Chile analysis.

Also note that Dr. Luis Cifuentes has collaborated with other health experts in the international community on several publications, including:

The Science article received considerable attention by the Chilean and international press. Cifuentes appeared on Spanish CNN, and articles appeared in several newspapers. As a result of this media exposure, Dr. Cifuentes’ stature as an expert on health impacts of air pollution has grown, particularly among policymakers in the region.

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