My Gap Year In Chile: It's A Smoky Problem

Well we've recently found out that Temuco and Lautaro are two of the most polluted cities in Chile. This is pretty much because of all the wood smoke being produced. It is winter now and very cold. It reached -2 degrees Celsius the other morning. In Chile there is no central heating. Most people have wood-burning fires to heat their homes and also another to cook. It's generally wood because it is the cheapest option. Gas and electricity are very expensive here in Chile, as Chile has no natural gas reserves, and to produce electricity is expensive.

So a lot of smoke is being produced at the moment. In the morning and evenings there is thick fog (which is all smoke really) and it can be quite hard to breathe. Me and Amina are both a little ill at the moment, and the smoke really isn't helping our coughs.

The local governments are aware of the problem. In Temuco they're trying to impose a ban, that will stop people from burning wood. This would help clear the air, but people will be unable to cook or heat their houses, and this will lead to people becoming more ill. Some people just can't afford gas or electricity.

The houses here are not very warm either. The walls seem quite thin. I don't think people know too much about insulation and double glazing does not exist here. This means that the houses are little more than ice-boxes if there's no heating available. And the big public buildings are freezing because they are big, concrete structures.

The schools and public buildings also use wood as heating because they can't afford gas. Some teachers can't afford to buy gas for the classroom heaters, and as the school doesn't provide it, they have to work in really cold temperatures. Not surprisingly there are lots of ill people at the moment.

Unless the government reduces the price of electricity, or learns to build properly insulated houses, I can't see how they're going to resolve this problem. We survive by wearing about five layers, drinking bucketfuls of tea and hot chocolate, and lounging in bed with hot water bottles.