Team:UChile OpenBio-CeBiB/Collaborations/iGEMPasteurCollaboration

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Environmental regulations


This collaboration was made between iGEM Pasteur team and iGEM UChile_OpenBio-CeBiB team.


  1. Who are the main actors fighting air pollution in your country? (the State, the companies, associations, locals, etc)

    2. The state, with the Ministry of Energy and Environment, also the internal revenue service (SII) regulates the carbon bonds. Recently, some municipalities and industries are starting to regulate and cut their emissions. There are some NGOs that fight against this.


  2. What are the alert threshold for concentrations of particulate matter in Chile? Do you take the WHO recommendations in consideration?

    3. The Ministry of environment is continuously supervising the air quality, it has the classification of: (Levels of MP10)

    • Good: 0-99.

    • Regular: 100-199.

    • Alert: 200-299.

    • Pre-emergency: 300-499.

    • Emergency: 500-No limits.

    Also there is the National Information system of air quality. If you want to know more about it, please click here.


  3. Is there any specific particulate regulation for big cities?

    4. The same regulations above. Air quality is measure in several stations around the city and depending on the classification of the air, some things are forbidden. For example, the circulation of specific vehicles, depending on the numbers with which their number plates end.


  4. What about indoor air pollution? Do you have any measure that targets indoor air pollution?

    5. Most people don’t talk about it, there are some studies, like:


  5. Do you think your laws fight well air pollution? Should they be more coercive? Are they followed by people?

    6. Laws regulates the average emission per day and year, also it indicates that there is a maximum concentration that can be emitted once in a year (law).Big pollutants must be controlled every six days and need to have a permission before starting their production.
    The laws aren’t quite effectives because the punishments are:

    • Low infraction:
      - Penalty Fee 850 USD-850.000 USD.
      - Written warning.

    • Serious infraction:
      - Penalty Fee up to 4.250.000 USD.
      - Revocation of the environmental resolution.
      - Temporary or Definitive Closure.

    • Serious infraction:
      - Penalty Fee up to 4.250.000 USD.
      - Revocation of the environmental resolution.
      - Temporary or Definitive Closure.

    • Very serious infraction:
      - Penalty Fee up to 8.500.000 USD.
      - Revocation of the environmental resolution.
      - Temporary or Definitive Closure.


    There been lots of cases where industries and people have cheated the regulations or payed a penalty fee and continues polluting. So laws must be stronger and regulate a specific and accurate system for supervision.


  6. Is there any lobbying from big pollutant industrials?

    7. There has been a stir in the approval of some thermoelectric plants and the use of selected firewoods (more info here and here). As part of our human practices project, we are working with Los Maitenes community, in Puchuncaví (declared zone of contamination). There the villagers told us that the municipality help the thermoelectric plants and doesn’t give any compensation to them for the damage produced.


  7. Is your country more aware of outdoor air pollution or indoor air pollution?

    8. Absolutely outdoor air pollution. Most of the people don’t know about indoor air pollution and use firewood heaters to warm their houses. Also, lots of people use kerosene for the heater. There is not much information about their risks. But the state is investing on educating about the problems of contamination and the ways of heat our houses.




  1. Who is the main CO2 pollutant in the country?

    2. In 2014, France emitted 0,37 Gt of CO2. Please see below the repartition of these emissions. The data are coming from the French Ministry of Environment, 2014.


  2. Where does the main power of energy come from?

    3. The main power of energy comes from refined petroleum products (45.1%), then from electricity (22.9%), natural gas (19.1%), renewable energies (9.6%),etc. This data also come from a French Ministry (2015).


  3. Do you have any CO2 regulation? There is any plan of mitigation? How is your nation affronting climate change?.

    4. Between 1990 and 2013, France reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 10%. To go further, France has since 2012 engaged in many actions in the fields of housing, transport, energy, agriculture, biodiversity industry and has passed an energy transition law.
    With the law on the energy transition for green growth, France has two main objectives:

    • 40% reduction in emissions by 2030, compared to the 1990 level.
    • 75% reduction in emissions by 2050, compared to the 1990 level.

    To do this, she is committed to the evolution of the energy mix:

    • Increase the share of renewable energies to 32% in final energy consumption in 2030.
    • Reduce energy consumption by 50% by 2050.


    France has also given the strategic guidelines to implement in all sectors of activity the transition to a low-carbon economy over the period 2015-2028 (National Low Carbon Strategy - SNBC):

    • 54% reduction in emissions in the building sector, in which the emission reduction fields are particularly important: deployment of buildings with very low consumption and positive energy, acceleration of energy renovations, eco-design, smart meters.
    • Reduction of 29% of emissions in the transport sector: improvement of the energy efficiency of vehicles (vehicle consuming 2L / 100 km), development of clean vehicles (electric car, biofuels, etc.).
    • Reduction of 12% of emissions in the agricultural sector thanks to the agro-ecological project: anaerobic digestion, land cover, grassland maintenance, development of agroforestry, optimization of the use of inputs.
    • 24% reduction in emissions in the industry sector: energy efficiency, circular economy (reuse, recycling, energy recovery), renewable energy.
    • Reduction of 33% of emissions in the waste management sector: reduction of food waste, ecodesign, fight against planned obsolescence, promotion of reuse and better recovery of waste.


  4. What did your country subscribe on the Paris agreement?

    5. A law was voted on June 15, 2016 to authorize the ratification of the Paris agreement of December 15, 2015.


  5. There is any region polluted?

    6. The image below shows regions polluted in France.