SANTIAGO, Chile — Massive demonstrations erupted across Chile on Sunday as thousands of citizens mobilized to observe World Water Day, responding to President José Antonio Kast’s controversial decision to revoke dozens of environmental protection measures established by his predecessor. The arch-conservative leader, who assumed office earlier this month, has triggered widespread environmental concerns with his administration’s rollback of 43 conservation decrees originally implemented under left-wing former President Gabriel Boric.
The nationwide protests, organized under the evocative banner “Don’t ‘Kast-igate’ Nature,” saw participation surge beyond expectations across 15 Chilean cities. Environmental coalitions, including the Movement for the Defense and Access to Water, Land and the Environment, coordinated the demonstrations highlighting what they characterize as an unprecedented assault on environmental protections.
Cristóbal Rodríguez, national spokesperson for the organizing movement, revealed that approximately 1.4 million Chileans currently lack access to potable water—a crisis exacerbated by the new administration’s policies. Rodríguez condemned Kast’s approach as “an environmental chainsaw operation” that favors corporate interests over ecological preservation.
The rescinded regulations encompassed vital protections for endangered species including Darwin’s frog and Humboldt penguins, established national park boundaries, implemented decontamination strategies for Lake Villarrica, and enforced emissions controls on thermoelectric plants. These comprehensive measures represented years of environmental policy development.
President Kast defended his decisions to journalists, stating, “We want to generate the best possible public policy around full employment, always respecting the environment.” His administration maintains that economic deregulation and technical criteria should supersede what he terms “environmental ideologies.”
Kast’s political ascendancy marks Chile’s most significant rightward shift since the nation restored democracy in 1990 following Augusto Pinochet’s 17-year military dictatorship—a regime the president openly supported during his youth. Environmental advocates warn that this ideological heritage now threatens Chile’s natural heritage, commodifying nature at unprecedented levels.