On 12 March, Chile’s recently inaugurated administration withdrew 43 environmental decrees and regulatory processes from legal review, effectively suspending their implementation (1). The rescinded policies include key instruments for climate change mitigation and adaptation, emission standards for thermoelectric plants, and air quality regulations to limit heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. The completed national process for species classification based on International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria and the creation of up to five national parks were also put on hold. These regulatory interruptions undermine Chile’s international commitments to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, threatening historic and existing global endeavors. Chile should reverse this decision and allow the regulations to move forward.
