Study Examines How 'Undone Science' Shaped Chile's Glacier Protection Conflicts
A new study published in Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society explores how gaps in scientific knowledge enabled mining projects to avoid scrutiny in Chile's glacier conservation debates. 'Undone science'—areas of knowledge that are absent or contested—allowed significant environmental impacts to escape regulatory attention over two decades. The research highlights how incomplete scientific understanding can shape environmental policy outcomes globally.
Researchers led by Javiera Barandiarán, an associate professor in global studies at UC Santa Barbara, examined the role of 'undone science' in conflicts between mining interests and glacier conservation efforts in Chile over the past 20 years. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society, demonstrates that gaps in scientific knowledge—whether deliberately absent or genuinely contested—created regulatory blind spots that allowed mining projects to proceed with insufficient environmental scrutiny. By tracing how missing or disputed scientific areas shaped policy decisions, the authors illustrate a broader mechanism through which incomplete knowledge can influence environmental outcomes. The research suggests that understanding these knowledge gaps is essential for improving environmental regulation and protection strategies not only in Chile but potentially across other regions facing similar mining and conservation conflicts.
Limitations & open questions
The article does not specify which particular mining projects were examined, what specific scientific knowledge gaps were most consequential, or what policy recommendations the study proposes.
What different sources said
- Phys.orgCenter
How 'undone science' shaped Chile's glacier protection battle
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