‘Unjust Transition’ Premieres on YouTube, Challenging Chile’s Decarbonization and Coal Phaseout

The documentary ‘Unjust Transition’ is now free to watch on the YouTube channel of citizen coalition Chao Carbn, inviting viewers to scrutinize Chile00s decarbonization and energy transition0aand their real impacts on frontline communities.

The 35-minute film, written and directed by Ladislao Palma with co-writer Lucas Za00artu, takes viewers on an immersive journey led by an artificial-intelligence avatar that personifies energy0a0aasgiving it a voice to narrate Chile00s unequal energy transition.

The work contrasts the realities of Huasco0a0a where coal-fired power plants remain active without closure commitments0a0a and Tocopilla0a0a which shut down six coal units but still faces unremediated environmental liabilities and high rates of disease.

Drawing on compelling testimonies and on-the-ground footage, the film surfaces an uncomfortable truth: the energy transition is an ideological battleground that will shape the future of communities and the planet0a0a and it questions whether this process is being carried out in a truly just way.

22Despite the growing share of renewable energy and the closure of 11 coal-fired power plants, Chile00s energy transition continues to reproduce harmful impacts on communities and territories. Coal plants are closing without dismantling or remediation, renewables are expanding with no land-use planning, and energy decisions are made without including the local communities who are directly affected by these impacts,22 said Sara Larra00n, director of the Sustainable Chile Foundation.

This, she added, 22limits the chances of moving toward a truly just energy transition.22

The Huasco case

In Huasco, five coal-fired power plants operated by Guacolda Energ00a have for decades caused severe health impacts due to emissions of pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and heavy metals0a0a all linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Instead of advancing toward closure, the company has proposed converting its units to co-fire coal with ammonia0a0a a pilot technology that does not eliminate coal use but perpetuates its combustion.

This alternative, included by the government in its Decarbonization Plan, has been presented as a transition pathway. In practice, however, it is a false solution: it maintains the local pollutants that harm nearby residents, increases nitrogen oxide emissions that damage respiratory health, and raises the cost of electricity generation because of ammonia00s high price.

Far from decarbonizing, the approach entrenches coal in the energy mix, delaying climate commitments and the urgent need to protect public health.

22In this asymmetric relationship forged between capital and the state, we end up with a list of good intentions, but without real processes of repair for the city,22 warned Damir Galaz, academic, researcher, and resident of Huasco.

Watch the 22Unjust Transition22 documentary below:

El Ciudadano