Thousands of Chileans protest President Kast's environmental rollbacks on World Water Day

By — Alexandre Plaza, Associated Press Alexandre Plaza, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Thousands of Chileans protest President Kast's environmental rollbacks on World Water Day World Mar 22, 2026 6:42 PM EDT SANTIAGO, Chile — Thousands of people marched on Sunday in Santiago and other cities in Chile to mark World Water Day following the withdrawal of dozens of environmental decrees by arch-conservative President José Antonio Kast. The decrees rolled back by Kast's administration had been signed during the government of left-wing former Chilean leader Gabriel Boric, whom Kast replaced as president earlier this month. The demonstration, called by several environmental organizations under the slogan "Don't 'Kast-igate' Nature," drew thousands more participants in 15 cities across the country. READ MORE: José Antonio Kast sworn in as Chile's president, in sharpest shift to the right since Pinochet Cristóbal Rodríguez, national spokesperson for the Movement for the Defense and Access to Water, Land and the Environment — one of the organizers — said that in Chile there are still 1.4 million people without access to drinking water. The new president "represents a setback that reflects his Pinochet-era roots and is commodifying nature to levels never seen before," Rodríguez said. The new Chilean president ordered the halt of 43 environmental protection regulations one day after taking office. These measures protected species such as Darwin's frog and the Humboldt penguin, created national parks and outlined decontamination plans, such as for Lake Villarrica, among other things. They also regulated emissions from thermoelectric plants. READ MORE: Ultra-conservative wins Chile election, will be most right-wing president since dictatorship "We want to generate the best possible public policy around full employment, always respecting the environment," Kast told the press af...