Contested Perspectives on Chile's Progress in Inclusive Sustainable Development: Limited Participation of Environmental Grassroots

Abstract

Since 2017, Chile has reported significant progress in inclusive sustainable development to the UN, and framed such achievement as a result of its neoliberal policy agenda. On the ground, however, environment defenders have often felt excluded from public policymaking. Through an empirical assessment of interviews with activists, this article finds varying perceptions of inclusion in environmental governance depending on activists' level of institutionalisation and attitude towards neoliberalism. After revealing exclusionary patterns affecting grassroots focused on environmental justice, the article evaluates the prospects of the SDGs to foster more inclusive environmental governance in the context of Chile's recent constitutional developments.