The Participation of Activists and Indigenous Peoples in Climate Governance in Chile*

Abstract

There is a growing consensus about the relevance of the participation of non-state actors in climate governance. However, multiple barriers at the national and global levels still hinder the effectiveness of this engagement. Based on ethnographic research, this article analyses how non-state actors from two organisations −Ecos and the Chilean Indigenous Collective on Climate Change− perceive their participation in national climate governance. We conducted thirty-six semi-structured interviews with participants of two groups committed to climate action, one led by civil society organisations and the other convened by the state and composed of Indigenous Peoples leaders, and also engaged in participant observation. Although their motivations are diverse, all share the common goal of addressing socio-ecological inequalities through responses that emerge from their territories. However, these groups show that both national climate change policy and the international climate governance scenario continue to consider the participation of non-state actors as marginal, symbolic, and instrumental.