Impact of COVID-19 on Chile's Energy Transition Policies and Goals

Abstract

Because of climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased, leading to the implementation of energy transition policies. Countries have adopted the Paris Agreement to curb the effects of climate change. The emergence of COVID-19 in 2020 led to the application of different measures to stop its transmission. This study evaluated the effects of COVID-19-related restrictions (such as quarantine and mobility restriction) in Chile during the first wave on compliance with the country's energy transition policies and the goals toward a decarbonized energy matrix by 2050. For this, the main GHG contributors were evaluated. According to updated Chile's fourth biennial climate change report, the main GHG contributor is the energy sector (during the generation and transportation of electricity). In addition, the country’s economic growth during the same period was evaluated by analyzing the quarterly GDP data presented by the Central Bank of Chile. The results indicated a decrease in GHG emissions compared with the same period of the previous 2 years. Because the energy sector contributes 77% of emissions, the fulfillment of the established goals is possible by targeting this sector. However, the COVID-19-related restrictions slowed down the country's economy, as indicated by the significant decreases in quarterly GDP during the study period.