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state is a vicious circle that it is not incorporating the sustainable conception. I strongly
believe that Chile has to rethink the basis of its economical activities and decide how
the wealth will be distributed equitably, because without that we cannot achieve viable
and bearable solutions.
Therefore, the biggest challenge for Chile in the following twenty years will be to
move from an economy that was an excuse for disregarding some areas of
concern to another that will grant the sustainable development. More specifically,
our future economy has to improve or develop two main aspects. First, our economic
policies must prioritize ending the very high inequality in the income distribution.
Second, it must promote the correct exploitation of the resources setting strict limits
and regulation in all its productive areas.
The main and worst consequence of our poor wealth distribution is the inhibition of
social mobility. In fact, in Chile the differences are made from the cradle. This is well
illustrated by the uneven access to good quality education. Annually, the Ministry of
Education evaluates national students in different grades through a test called SIMCE.
The results reveal a stunning gap between students who live in the wealthiest
neighbourhoods and those who live in an average reality (middle-low class). Later, this
difference is reproduced in the access to the best universities. Indeed, the students
who received a better primary education, have access to better higher education, and
then increase their income in better work positions. The same happens with the next
generation, consequently perpetuating the system. Obviously, it has negative
implications in human development and it endangers the satisfactory fulfilment of any
sustainable effort.
Regarding economic activities, there are relevant modifications that should be
considered. The challenge can be bounded to invert the negative trends related to
energy production and consumption patterns. Certainly, the traditional unsustainable
energy resources (petroleum and coal) have to be replaced by renewable energies. At
the date, Chile has dismissed the nuclear energy due to dramatic experiences
(Fukishima disaster), nonetheless the authorities have announced to move towards
clean energies without defining the way. In the next years the rigorous discussion of
solar energy in the desert and exploitation of water resources in the south is
mandatory, because our current behaviour in energy matters is not considering the
future.
In brief, the challenge for Chile is to modify its economy to promote the
interconnectedness between the areas of sustainable development. For instance, a
better wealth distribution is desirable, as it will improve the human development and
build a fairest society. Equally important, producing money without caring about the
energy production patterns or waste treatment is untenable, it is a damage to the
environment that we cannot tolerate anymore. Although, there is no optimal solution
and some sacrifices must be done, the short term goals will be tuned with the long
term goal establishing convincing basis for sustainable development. From my point of
view, facing this challenge satisfactory will allow Chile to become a developed country.