Chile: Social Media Reactions Against Coal Mining Project · Global Voices
Paulina Aguilera Muñoz

Another environmental conflict is reflected on Chilean social networks [es]. This time, Riesco Island Mining [es] aims to develop a million dollar coal mining project that threatens protected species on Riesco Island, one of the largest islands of Chile.
The lands of Riesco Island are part of the Alacalufe National Reserve, home of protected species of flora and fauna [es], like lenga, ñirre, coihue, huemules and woodpeckers, dolphins, sea lions and penguins. Humpback whales live at the nearby Marino Franciso Coloane Park.
“Once again Chile is on environmental alert, we will save Riesco Island from destruction” was a strong campaign on social networks and YouTube, with its own web page [es] and more than 100,000 views of these videos:
The videos mix the faces of environmental activists, experts and chilean actors and actresses [es] which created this video to be used on social networks: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, web pages, opinion columns, “everything goes, everything goes!!!!” says the campaign.
“Save the penguins and the passage of the humpback whale (Riesco Island)” is on The Petition Site with 1,562 virtual signatures to date.
El Proyecto Mina Isla Riesco es una amenaza  real para la anidación de pingüinos en el sector del seno Otway,  conocida como “las pingüineras”, además intervendrá en el paso de  ballenas jorobadas del Parque Francisco Coloane.
René Bustamante (@Rene_Bustamante) on Twitter indicates [es]:
Las  mineras de isla riesco, abarcaran 1500 hectareas y el “hoyo“ sera de  unas 500 hectareas con mas de 180 metros de profundidad. #espanto
The project “Mina Invierno” [es] (Winter Mine), the first of five open mines, was approved [es] by the Environmental Evaluation Commission in the Magellan Islands [es] on February 16 [es], despite a number of inconsistencies and 1,700 citizen and expert observations [es] that show its environmental impacts.
Anibal Valenzuela on Veoverde [es] reflects on the surprise of the decision:
La verdad es que la primera vez que leí sobre el proyecto que se estaba  llevando a cabo en Isla Riesco pensé que era imposible que se aprobara.  Algunos podrán pensar que soy ingenuo o algo parecido, pero cuando  investigué sobre Isla Riesco y vi lo virgen que era y lo austral que  quedaba, me dije “no, nadie puede ser tan inconsciente para aprobar algo  tan contaminante en un lugar tan hermoso como éste”. Y de verdad lo  creí.
Protest on February 16 2011 in front of the La Moneda after the government approved a coal mining project on Riesco Island. Image under copyright taken by "profetaparanoia" for Demotix.
In El Martutino [es] Claudia Rodríguez explains the new institutional structure that approves mega projects in Chile leaving out the sole representatives of the citizenry and the regional advisers. The decision is taken by representatives of the central government in the regions, in other words, the mayor (direct representative of the President in the region) and the SEREMIs (Ministerial Regional Secretaries [es], regional representatives of the federal ministers). She also explains the economic structure behind the decision:
¿Dónde están las consideraciones ambientales y la voz de las  comunidades cuando el gobierno central –unilateralmente y en complicidad  con los grandes empresarios- decide tener una matriz energética cada  vez más “carbonizada”?
Daniel Romero (@pavalenz) mentions the strongest suspicion [es] which locates President Sebastián Piñera, as well as other people connected to the government [es], in the middle of the conflict and on social networks with the popularity of the hashtag #conflictodeinteres (conflict of interest).
Piñera aún mantiene sus acciones en COPEC ($6.300 millones)?? [Enlace a declaración de patrimonio de Sebastián Piñera] Porque COPEC es la dueña de minera Isla Riesco #conflictodeinteres
“No to the mine on Riesco Island,” a site on Facebook [es], contrasts with Foro Universitarios.cl [es] where one sees opinions about the theme of energy and the environmental impact of the project like this one:
no podemos permitirnos tampoco que sean grupos de alto impacto social y  con bajo (por no decir nulo) conocimiento técnico quienes lleven  adelante nuestras políticas energeticas, y me refiero en particular en  este punto a los múltiples videos que aparecen actores (sí! actores, no  ingenierios o preparados en la materia, actores!!) diciendonos cuáles  son los proyectos que debemos rechazar y cuáles (de manera tácita)  aprobar. Ellos, no tienen ninguna y absolutamente ninguna  responsabilidad por los actos que cometen, a menos me parece preocupante  que la sociedad se haga eco de ellos.
Beyond the position, the debate on social networks in Chile has become increasingly intense and robust, with a greater capacity to mobilize people and ideas in the middle of the dispute between development versus nature, something that has become commonplace in the country.