OPINION - The Impossible Climate Justice: When democratic foundations disintegrate

On March 14, 2025, a message circulated in some WhatsApp groups. It announced in capital letters: "NATIONAL PARKS PEOPLE CALLED THE COMMUNITY TO AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING (...) WITH THE PRESIDENT OF PARKS AND THE MAYOR."

On March 14th, I was supposed to be posting the registration for an event we were organizing to celebrate World Day for Glaciers. I was meant to meet with the guides I was working with on this workshop, to build more climate justice. We were going to discuss how to connect communities from World Heritage sites with glaciers. But instead of planning the celebration of the World Day for Glaciers in El Chaltén, we found ourselves reacting. In my mind, climate justice slips just a little further away, along with all the values it encompasses. Once again, we are reacting, and once again, I feel like another day has been stolen from us, like they’re taking our time.

Again and again, we demand that the basic foundations of democracy be upheld. So we can ensure that the system will protect us when we begin to enter a zone of profound uncertainty regarding the future social, political, and environmental impacts of climate change.

I don’t feel safe, and it’s not because of the sixth mass extinction or climate change. It’s because of my representatives. The authorities are sending the message that they are truly above it all. They can act outside the law: they can start dismantling without permission, they can announce a public meeting literally half an hour before it takes place. They can dismantle all the mechanisms that make me feel secure within a democracy. The president of Parks can show up in town, out of nowhere, and start a meeting by saying that he is the one making the decisions here. 

When did we get here?

What is the future of Patagonia?

All I feel is that I wanted to create. But once again, I found myself demanding the basics: that the law be upheld, that we are informed about the conservation goals for the coming years, and that a consultative mechanism be established to link the protected area with community representatives. That we are informed, in a timely manner, about why the administration in charge of conserving the site is dismantling trees. But by demanding the basics, I find comfort in the smiles and ingenuity of the slogans during the self-organized march:

« Larssen, fraud, don’t mess with the forest

Larssen, Oso, the forest is not a business. 

It’s time to stand up 

The forest is untouchable. »

How can we project ourselves, be innovative, create, adapt to climate change, and create initiatives that unite social justice with environmental justice when we are condemned to merely react, watch, and protest?

For years, the community has been asking for more democracy, because many of us love this place, we live it, and we know how different it is from the rest of the world, in both its social and ecological dimensions. Many of us want improvements. And although that may mean something different for each sector, we need to reflect on the territorial project for this place – and this is done by creating platforms that allow us to understand the values, priorities, and needs of the people.

Could they finally create the Local Advisory Commission, or are they going to keep us sidelined from the crucial reflections and decision-making processes about the protected area for a few more years?

Written by Marie Anière Martinez