Mining In Chile Research Articles

Modeling and scenario building for climate change adaptation planning: The case of large mining in Chile

The mining sector in Chile is a strategic industrial sector for the country. Existing evidence shows that it faces several serious climate change threats; precipitation and flooding, droughts, heatwaves, among others. This scene put pressure on the government and the industry to develop efficient adaptation plans. To date, adaptation plans are designed under the rather linear paradigm of predict-then-act or the impact-lea approach as they are characterized in the IPCC Assessment Report 5 (AR5). Literature and the IPCC reports have identified the limits of those planning paradigms showing the relevance of adaptation barriers or enabling conditions, which should be considered as intrinsic part of the planning problem.In methodological terms, planning for climate change risks implies an enriched adaptation plan problem, previously characterized only by an operative climate risk management, that must be described at the beginning of the decision-making process. In this study, our objective is to contribute to the climate change adaptation planning of large-scale mining in Chile. The study is based on a climate change adaptation planning approach that overcomes the limitations of the current paradigm. In doing so, we start from the understanding that what emerges as an object of analysis from adding to the climate risks their enabling managing conditions is a social system. The social system whose function is that social climate risk management takes place. Therefore, we call it the Social Management System for Adaptation to Climate Change (SMSACC). As such the SMSACC should be the adaptation planning key object.In the first place we modeled that system applying a qualitative system methodology and then we developed it into a mathematical model based on graph theory, in particular the signed digraphs. This allows us to simulate two types of intervention on the enlarged object of analysis of the large mining adaptation plan. On the one hand, we carried out a future scenario analysis based on prospective tools which enables us to understand the system's answer to different future behavior of its environment, including climate change. On the other hand, we simulate different strategic interventions options on the system, which facilitates understanding the system's reaction under different public policy approaches.The modeling and simulation results provided an insightful understanding of the dilemma of social adaptation management of large mining in Chile, and as such they are useful input for the planning process.

Integrating geodetic infrastructures for GNSS displacements analysis in Chile: A case study with REDGEOMIN (2019-2022)

This article investigates crustal displacements in Chile between 2019 and 2022, a region marked by the interaction between three Plates. Utilizing the Red Geodésica para la Minería (Geodetic Network for Mining, REDGEOMIN), which incorporates GNSS stations within Chile and fiduciary stations from the International GNSS Service (IGS) and the Sistema de Referencia Geodésico para las Américas (Geodetic Reference System for the Americas, SIRGAS) outside the country, our solutions are aligned with the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). This approach ensures our research has significant local relevance and contributes to the global scientific community. This work thoroughly analyses GNSS geodetic infrastructure and covers equipment specifications, post-processing data availability, and quality control measures. REDGEOMIN's methodology aligns with IGb14 and the SIRGAS-Continuously Operating Network (SIRGAS-CON), ensuring precision and reliability. The primary objective of this research is to identify regions with significant displacement and areas requiring densification to improve vector variation. The study achieved high precision in aligning station coordinates to the IGb14 frame, with deviations of less than 1 mm, and to SIRGAS-CON, with deviations of 1 mm in planimetry and 2 mm in altimetry. The temporal evolution from 2019 to 2022, analyzed through the Analysis Deformation Beyond Los Andes (ADELA) project, reveals 3 to 5 cm/year displacements during interseismic periods, with contrasting directions in the northern and south-central regions. Metric displacements during co-seismic periods underscore the compelling necessity for kinematic reference frames in Chile and the incorporation of co-seismic displacement into scientific processing software. Therefore, this study ultimately emphasizes the need to establish a robust geodetic infrastructure in Chile, aiming for a comprehensive characterization and monitoring of the existing geodynamic processes in this region. These results, with their significant practical applications for future geodetic research and mining in Chile and internationally, enhance the precision and safety of mining operations in seismic zones, thereby demonstrating the relevance and applicability of the findings.

Numerical Study for the Design of a Thermal Energy Storage System with Multiple Tunnels Based on Phase Change Material: Case Study Mining in Chile (Thermal Storage in Off-Grid Industrial Applications)

This paper presents a numerical model for thermal energy storage systems’ design, development, and feasibility. The energy storage was composed of a tank that stores phase change material (AlSi12) and internal pipes with heat transfer fluid (Cerrolow 117), coupled to a power block to dispatch electrical energy on a small scale for off-grid industrial applications. Subsequently, the evolution of the temperature in charge/discharge cycles, temperature degradation, and storage efficiency was determined with the appropriate magnitudes and behavior through the resolution of a numerical model. In addition, for the proposed electric power generation plant for an off-grid pumping system in the mining industry of Chile, a numerical model was developed using the finite volumes method to simulate the thermocline performance. As a result, the temperature history reflects stable thermal behavior, low degradation, and high efficiency of approximately 92%, with a storage time increasing up to 13 [h] and 384.8 [kWh] capacity. Also, implementation was feasible on a small scale due to its compact, modular, and economically competitive characteristics in a concentrated solar power plant. Finally, the proposed design was proven to be an accurate and reliable alternative for small-scale off-grid mining applications.

Recovery of Apatite from Magnetic Concentration Tailings by Flotation

Iron concentration tailings contain many valuable minerals, including apatite, which is not currently being recovered despite its use to make fertilizers and chemicals. This article proposes a flotation circuit to recover apatite from tailings generated by mining in Chile, based on laboratory tests and using the “Split Factor” method. The iron tailings were characterized by granulometry, chemical and mineralogical analyses, zeta potential, and contact angle. The effect of the collector, frother, and dispersant dose, along with the number of flotation stages, on both the grade and recovery of P2O5 were studied. The results indicate that it is possible to produce concentrates with a P2O5 grade of 29.1% and 89.6% recovery in a flotation circuit that includes the rougher–scavenger–cleaner stages. To obtain these results, it is only necessary to condition the iron tailings with 400 gt−1 of Atrac-2600, 400 gt−1 of sodium silicate, 10 min of conditioning time, pH adjustment to 10, and a time for the rougher, cleaner, and scavenger stages set at 10, 7.6, and 6.8 min, respectively. A chemical interaction is suggested, where the collector is specifically adsorbed onto the apatite surface.

Tax Reforms in Hydrocarbons and Mining in Chile, Colombia and Peru 2021–2023

The objective of this chapter is to analyse the impact of recent tax reforms implemented by newly elected governments in Chile, Colombia and Peru, with special emphasis on the extractive industries. We focus on the need to improve the domestic capacity of tax and other revenue collection if the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved.Tax reform projects are an important tool for natural-resource-rich countries as they allow them to promote tax progressivity by levying wealth and capital income, as stated at the First Latin American Summit for an Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable Global Tax Order, held in Cartagena, Colombia in July 2023.This chapter analyses the results of the various policies, the difficulties encountered, the need to reach a consensus for tax reforms to be approved, the link between tax reforms and international proposals, and the extent of the changes needed to increase tax collection in order to meet outstanding social and environmental challenges.

Water or mineral resource? Legal interpretations and hydrosocial configurations of lithium mining in Chile

The advance of electromobility has boosted global demand and interest in lithium. The consequent expansion of lithium mining puts the sustainability of Chile's Andean salt flats at risk. In these unique ecosystems, lithium is abstracted from mineralized groundwaters, referred to also as brines. This article analyses the legal treatment of brines and its implications in assessing the socioecological impacts of lithium mining projects. For our analysis, we draw from scholarship at the intersection between hydrosocial research and critical legal geography. Methodologically, our study is based on interviews and the analysis of legal texts and judicial and administrative claims, including the environmental impact assessment studies of the three single lithium mining projects approved in the country. We show that the interpretation of brines as mining resources supported by mining companies and endorsed by environmental State agencies is based on a legal loophole. We document how such interpretation is operationalized and contested in the environmental impact assessments of three mining projects and other instances. We explore how the same legal loophole could lead to alternative interpretations and relatedly regulatory proposals and discuss their implication for the assessment of socioecological impacts of mining projects. These include first an understanding of brines as hybrids minerals/waters put forward in a recent report commissioned by State agencies, and second an interpretation of brines as a type of water. The latter is in line with the position of some indigenous groups and academics. We conclude with reflections on the implications of our analysis for lithium mining in Chile and beyond.

Comments: Pricing Index Launched for “Black Mass”

As an indicator of the evolving global energy marketplace, recycled battery metals just earned their own spot pricing assessments for China and Europe. S&P Global Commodity Insights launched nine new daily “black mass” evaluations last month “to bring greater transparency to pricing of the battery raw materials market.” These complement its existing suite of daily battery metals assessments. The hunt is ongoing, and escalating, for virgin sources of metals such as lithium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel for use in lithium-ion batteries ranging from those in watches and devices to utility-scale storage, electric vehicles (EVs), and oil- and gas-related applications. In this issue of JPT, the use of oilfield technologies in deep-sea mining for these metals is highlighted. An ExxonMobil researcher, M. Stanley Whittingham, created the first examples of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery in the 1970s. He and two other researchers were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of these batteries. For decades, lithium-ion batteries have been used in oil- and gas-related applications such as downhole tools related to drilling, measurement, testing, wireline, and well intervention. They can operate under extreme conditions and temperatures (from 220°C to –50°C, in the deep subsea) and are safe in potentially inflammable and explosive environments. Their long operation life and reliability are vital because of the high costs associated with downhole battery failures. More familiar to many is the use of lithium-ion batteries in EVs. The annual demand for EV batteries (in kilotonnes) is forecast to more than double from 2019 to 2030, according to the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2020. The increased demand is due largely to their high energy density. They hold more energy in a smaller area than other types of batteries. New technologies enable the recovery and reuse of core components when these batteries reach the end of their useful lives. The battery pack can be collected, dismantled, and shredded. The shredded material is then processed to produce so-called “black mass” from which these high-value critical metals can be extracted and reused in new battery production. Although the demand is expected to mushroom, the global supply of these metals is finite. Their mining is energy- and labor-intensive. Mining the ore creates environmental effects such as land disruption and emissions; refining brine yields lower-grade lithium and recovers less of the metal present than is recovered from ore. Mining in Chile, a major lithium exporter, consumes 65% of the country’s water. In September 2022, the American Chemical Society estimated only 5% of the world’s lithium-ion batteries were recycled from the projected 8 million tons of waste. S&P Global expects recycled battery materials to make up an increasing share of the supply chain well beyond 2030. The potential availability of recycled materials would account for 30% of nickel, 27% of lithium, and 40% of cobalt demand between 2020 and 2050. Recycled metals have the potential to be cheaper than their virgin equivalents and provide supply in regions that do not have the natural resources available. In addition to reducing the need for virgin materials, recycling/reuse reduces the carbon emissions associated with new mining activities. But recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries, as a relatively nascent process, has its problems. Both physical and chemical processes are involved. Physical processes include pretreatment and recovery of electrode materials which include disassembly, crushing, screening, magnetic separation, washing, and heating treatment. Chemical processes involve leaching, separation, extraction, and chemical/electrochemical precipitation. Challenges remain to achieve the required “perfect” recovery in terms of safety, low cost, low energy consumption, and no pollution. Another challenge is to convince carmakers to use recycled materials. In an IEEE Spectrum article, Yan Wang, a professor of mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, said, “Battery companies still hesitate to use recycled material in their batteries.” A study by Wang and researchers from the US Advanced Battery Consortium and A123 Systems, a battery company, concluded, “it becomes clear that recycled materials can be as good as or even better than the high-quality control materials.” As with most rapidly advancing technologies and processes, the concept must be proven, and the economics must make sense to increase widespread adoption. In the circular economy, the recycling and reuse of these high-value, limited-resource metals have the potential to be a shining star.

Formalization beyond legalization: ENAMI and the promotion of small-scale mining in Chile

This article explains how ENAMI, the Chilean National Mining Company (ENAMI), has legalized and formalized artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The experience reveals how promoting formalization strategies that provide much broader support for ASM, beyond mining licenses and tenure rights (i.e., legalization), defined as formalization (e.g., geological data, mining equipment, and skills transfer programs), is vital. Information gathered from secondary sources and semi-structured interviews reveals that while legalization of ASM has been largely successful in Chile, there are still challenges in terms of formalization, especially improvement of exploration and production. Furthermore, ENAMI needs to modernize its own installations and development model to afford ASM greater opportunities of becoming a sustainable and competitive business activity.

An Economic Evaluation of the Health and Agricultural Damages Caused by Copper Mining in Chile

AbstractThis study assesses the environmental damage caused by copper mining on surface water bodies in Chile. The few official records on the discharges and concentrations of arsenic and copper only allow for identifying the impacts of some mining operations in the regions of Coquimbo, Valparaíso, and O’Higgins. The economic valuation is carried out through the impact pathway approach, which relates copper production, discharges, concentrations, and dose-response coefficients to establish effects on health and agriculture. The results show that the economic damage due to water pollution occurs mainly in the regions of Coquimbo and O’Higgins. The above is explained because the greatest externalities are generated in agricultural areas, while the damage to health is low because of the small population exposed (97.6% versus 2.4%). Finally, total damages represent 0.43%, 0.26%, and 0.0001% of copper sales in the mining operations analyzed in the regions of Coquimbo, O’Higgins, and Valparaíso, respectively.

Mining companies, indigenous communities, and the state: the political ecology of lithium in Chile (Salar de Atacama) and Argentina (Salar de Olaroz-Cauchari)

Based on intensive and long-term field research and document reviews, this article compares the historic evolution of lithium mining in Chile and Argentina. We highlight national development discourses and government regulatory frameworks in both countries. We illustrate and assess the diverse perceptions and strategies of local actors. Finally, we discuss the socio-spatial materialization of lithium mining in terms of power relations, ecology, and economy. Using perspectives from political ecology brings to light different power relations between the state, mining companies, and indigenous communities in Chile and Argentina. These power asymmetries have an enduring influence on local actors' possibilities for taking action.

Microbial responses are unreliable indicators of copper ecotoxicity in soils contaminated by mining activities

Metal contamination of soil has become a serious environmental problem worldwide. Many studies have attempted to infer metal ecotoxicity from soil microbial responses. However, much of the data from these studies tends to be inconsistent and difficult to interpret. We hypothesized that microbial response would be a useful indicator of metal toxicity in soils contaminated by copper mining in Chile. Eighty-four topsoils (0–20 cm) were collected from three areas historically contaminated by copper mining (total Cu: 46–1106 mg kg−1, soluble Cu: 0.05–2.3 mg kg−1, pCu2+: 6.3–10, pH: 5.1–7.8, organic matter: 1.1–10%, clay: 0–28%). Based on soil metal concentrations and ecotoxicity thresholds, Cu was expected to be toxic to microorganisms in the studied soils, while the effects of other metals (total Zn: 79-672, As: 1.9–60, Pb: 19-220, Cd: 0.4–5.1 mg kg−1) were expected to be minor. Soil microbial responses (microbial biomass and numbers, nitrogen mineralization and nitrification, and community-level physiological profiles) were also measured. The results showed that the different responses of soil microbes were not correlated with each other. Furthermore, the soil microbial responses were mainly influenced by the physicochemical properties of the soil, not by the metal concentrations in the soil. The effect of copper on the microbial response was either stimulating (positive) or toxic (negative). Of the soil microbial responses measured in this study, only the microbial biomass was useful for calculating dose-response curves. However, the microbial biomass response was not consistent among the different soil copper pools (total copper, soluble copper, and activity of free Cu2+ ions). It is important to emphasize that the thresholds obtained for copper toxicity cannot be adopted in a robust manner because of the different microbial responses in different sampling areas. Thus, in the copper-contaminated soils under study, microbial response was found to be an unreliable indicator of metal toxicity.

Mining indigenous territories: Consensus, tensions and ambivalences in the Salar de Atacama

Lithium mining in Chile's Salar de Atacama (SdA) has a relatively long and controversial history, especially when it comes to the local Indigenous peoples. In this context, this paper looks at the ways mining activities, and different visions of territory and indigeneity co-produce each other in the particular context of the SdA. For this, we use historical and ethnographic methods and draw on studies in anthropology and geography. We aim to escape simplistic images of Indigenous peoples’ reactions to mining as reflecting victimhood, resistance, or strategic pragmatism, and show instead how individuals and groups organize and express themselves in ambivalent ways, maintaining complex relationships with both mining and the territory. According to our local interlocutors, struggles around territory in the SdA mainly concern water scarcity, the survival of this unique ecosystem's biological diversity, as well as continuity and change in local lifeways. While recent agreements between mining companies and local communities may benefit some individuals, they are also generating inter- and intra- community tensions over these issues. We find that mining shapes what 'indigenous' means and who can claim this identity, while Indigenous mobilization in turn shapes how mining is perceived and carried out. Together, mining and Indigenous mobilization produce a particular kind of territory, pervaded by diverse lines of both consensus and tension. Rather than contradictions, the ambivalent positions Indigenous peoples maintain become comprehensible when considering, ethnographically and historically, the particular places and lifeworlds they inhabit, and the asymmetrical patterns of constraint and opportunity they face. More broadly, the paper raises questions about the implications of a global transition to renewable energy based on lithium battery technologies, and ethical responses to the climate crisis.

СОВЕТСКО-ЧИЛИЙСКИЕ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ОТНОШЕНИЯ И ГЕОПОЛИТИЧЕСКИЕ ИНТЕРЕСЫ США В ЗАПАДНОМ ПОЛУШАРИИ В КОНЦЕ 1960-Х — НАЧАЛЕ 1970-Х ГГ.

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of economic and geopolitical considerations on US policy in Chile during the 1970 presidential election and on the decision of The Nixon administration to overthrow the legitimately elected President S. Allende through a military putsch. It is shown that neither Chile’s political nor economic ties with the Soviet Union were the main Reasons for this decision. The main reasons for the active US invasion of internal Chilean political life were fears in the American establishment about the fate of the revenues of American campaigns from mining in Chile, as well as geopolitical considerations for which the overthrow of the democratic regime in Chile could be a response to the Soviet Union for supporting the Communist regime in Cuba

Desalination in Chile's mining regions: Global drivers and local impacts of a technological fix to hydrosocial conflict

This article examines the nature and impacts of an expansion of the use of desalinated seawater by the mining industry, within the context of climate change. Specifically, it investigates how and why large-scale desalination operations have been employed to respond to community-based conflict over scarce freshwater resources in mining regions, and with what effect. This question was examined through interviews, focus groups, and participant observation among community members, mining company representatives, and government officials in three case study sites in Chile that have experienced recent conflict over water: regions surrounding the Escondida and Los Pelambres mines, which are both employing desalination to resolve concerns over water, and the Andina mine, which is not. Methods also included interviews and a focus group with national-level stakeholders in the capital, Santiago, and analysis of data on water use in Chile's copper mining industry overall. Findings indicate that a broad range of stakeholders are optimistic about the potential for desalination to reduce conflict over water in mining regions. In practice, the intervention has eased tensions with and brought benefits to highland communities near mining operations, but is likely to displace socioenvironmental harms of mining to coastal regions. Moreover, the addition of seawater supplies to mining operations will not reduce freshwater use overall, but rather, permit an expansion of mining production and its associated local and global impacts. The article concludes that desalination cannot resolve socioenvironmental conflict in mining regions if the underlying political and economic structures that cause the need for them in the first place are not addressed.

Selection Criteria for Sustainable Suppliers in the Supply Chain of Copper Mining in Chile

The objective of this research was to identify the criteria for the selection of sustainable suppliers in the supply chain of copper mining located in the Antofagasta region in Chile, through the information obtained in the application of a survey managers mining companies in 2018. The research results show that mining companies use economic, environmental and social criteria in the selection of sustainable suppliers, which are consistent with the research carried out by Dickson (1966) and Zimmer, Frohling and Schultmann ( 2016). However, the differentiation that mining companies make in the evaluation of criteria when it comes to suppliers of goods or service providers stands out as an important finding. In the case of suppliers of goods, economic criteria are valued more preferably, such as: quality, delivery on time, price, historical performance and previous sales. On the other hand, when it comes to service providers, environmental and social criteria, such as: occupational health and safety management and environmental management, are valued with greater importance.

Empirical analysis of Chile's copper boom and the Dutch Disease through causality and cointegration tests

Over the period 1990–2018, Chile has experienced the great copper boom manifested in an initial phase of the strong expansion of the productive base, followed by a period of high copper prices derived from the supercycle. Over this period, Chile has achieved great social progress in poverty and wealth indicators that have allowed it to decouple its progress from that of its peers in the region. However, it is valid to ask whether, as a consequence of the mining boom, Chile has suffered from an industrial weakening and other negative effects as a result of the Dutch Disease (DD), jeopardizing the country's long-term economic progress. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate whether the Chilean copper boom induced the DD symptoms in its economy through Granger-causality, cointegration, and impulse-response function over a vast set of socioeconomic variables. According to the authors' knowledge, the approach implemented allowed for the broadest empirical DD evaluation in the Chilean economy taking into account four crucial aspects: i) the political and economic regime established and consolidated along the 1990–2018 period; ii) the full Chilean copper industry expansion cycle; iii) the complete supercycle of the commodity prices; iv) data availability. The results suggest that the copper mining industry has not only allowed the country to enjoy an income surplus but actually levered the country's development. The proven success over the last three decades of Chile's mining development and windfall management should be a strong argument in favor of the model continuity and as a valid benchmark for macroeconomic management purposes by other countries in similar macroeconomic and idiosyncratic contexts.

Territorial development and mining. Insights and challenges from the Chilean case

As mining activity generally occurs far away from metropolitan areas, governments tend to forget the problems that communities in mining regions face. Centralized government systems and, more importantly, a lack of a robust understanding of the effects of mining impacts on communities and regions, explain in part the lag of development in mining regions and countries. This paper discusses these aspects and introduces eight different papers (comprising the Special Issue: Territorial development and mining in Chile) discussing the impacts that mining activity brings to local economic activity and societal outcomes using the case of Chile, one of the most important mining countries in the world. We conclude this invitation to a territorial turn in the study of mining-based economic development with a set of key research topics we believe would benefit from further research to improve our understanding of the temporal and spatial dynamics between mining activity and development across territories.

Torn between Legal Claiming and Privatized Remedy: Rights Mobilization against Gold Mining in Chile

ABSTRACTMany academic authors, policy makers, NGOs, and corporations have focused on top-down human rights global norm-making, such as the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). What is often missing are contextual and substantive analyses that interrogate rights mobilization and linkages between voluntary transnational rules and domestic governance. Deploying a socio-legal approach and using a combination of longitudinal field and archival data, this article investigates how a local, indigenous community in Northern Chile mobilized their rights over a period of almost two decades. We found that rights mobilization was largely shaped by tensions between the different logics of legality and the business organization. In our case, the UNGP implementation process has been ineffective in giving rightsholders access to genuine remedy. On the contrary, it has led to weakened rights mobilization, dividing the local community. We conclude that greater attention to rights mobilization and domestic governance dynamics should be given in the business and human rights debate.

At the crossroads: can desalination be a suitable public policy solution to address water scarcity in Chile's mining zones?

Water scarcity is a global issue that is threatening social and economic development. One approach to alleviating scarcity is the incorporation of new water sources into supply systems, including desalinated seawater for industrial and municipal use. In Chile, large volumes of water are used in water-scarce regions where mining takes place, alongside agriculture and small communities. This situation has driven a debate around policies to increase the use of seawater to satisfy the water demand of the mining industry. The economic, social and environmental implications of such a policy, however, are poorly understood and the current regulatory framework to address concerns and uncertainties is inadequate. This paper presents a technical, legal, economic and environmental appraisal of such a policy and considers options to improve outcomes. The appraisal suggests that clear regulations derived from economic, social and environmental analysis must be generated to provide legal certainty and reduce risks. Alternative or complementary water supply options should be allowed where mining operations can demonstrate negligible hydrological and social impacts or use innovative solutions such as stakeholder water rights swaps and water efficiency technologies. We provide insight that will help to drive a better policymaking process aimed at tackling water scarcity in Chile and in similar areas of the world.

Reducing GHG global emissions from copper refining and sea shipping of Chile's mining exports: A world win-win policy

Chile is the largest copper producing country of the world; and almost 50% of the copper it exports to the rest of the world is exported as copper concentrates to be smelted and refined abroad. However, 70% of the weight of these exported copper concentrates is gangue (valueless and undesirable material associated to the copper content in these exported concentrates). In this paper analyze and quantify the contribution Chile could make to the ongoing world efforts to reduce climate change and global warming, if it adopts a trading policy eliminating its exports of copper concentrates and replacing them with the greater value added exports of the refined copper obtained from smelting and refining those concentrates in Chile. This policy would allow a significant reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted every year to the global atmosphere. This reduction would occur through two channels: 1. avoiding the combustion of more than 600,000 tons of diesel oil currently used to transport by sea almost 6,600,000 tons of the gangue incorporated in Chile's copper concentrate exports; and, 2. using Chile's cleaner technology for smelting and refining copper concentrates instead of the dirtier technologies of the countries currently importing, smelting and refining the Chilean copper concentrates. For the first time, using data for 2014, we estimate the total net reduction in GHG emissions to the global atmosphere that the proposed trade policy would imply. We calculate the distance of the nautical routes used for the 919 shipments of concentrates exported by Chile that year; and we perform sensitivity analysis for 4 scenarios, employing two alternative values for two key parameters. Additionally, we compare the GHG emission performances of the copper smelting and refining metallurgic technologies employed in Chile and in every one of the 22 countries that import and smelt and refine Chilean concentrates. Our estimates for the 2 most extreme scenarios indicate that, if instead of exporting copper concentrates in 2014, Chile would had exported only refined copper, it would had contributed with a total net reduction of GHG emissions emitted to the global atmosphere of 2,227,047 and 2,799,279 ton CO2-eq tons that year, which are equivalent to approximately 5.6% of the total amount of GHG emissions that would had made Chile fully carbon neutral that year. This is a significant contribution regarding Chile's commitment to the Paris Agreement as well as in terms of the required world efforts to reducing GHG emissions from sea shipping.