Our first full day in Santiago begins! Dam Analyst Squad, operating with geohydrologist Peter Willing, writer Scott Douglas, and biogeocemist Wendy Pabich, spent the day in various academic meetings.

First, we spoke with employees of CONAMA, Chile’s rough equivalent to the US’s EPA, to learn about the fundamentals of Chile’s environmental regulation. Second, we spoke with the Director of Studies in Chile’s Department of Energy to discuss Chile’s general approach to energy in the nation and the federal stance on non-conventional energy sources. Last, we spent time discussing our theses and various data needs with directors from International Rivers, a not-for-profit aimed at the protection of rivers and the defense of the rights of people who depend on them.

After nearly 12 hours of meetings, the team was in high spirits on account of the success and openness of the day’s conversations. Making these contacts was particularly important to facilitate access to data required for each of our theses. The meetings served as perfect foundation for our in-house understanding of the issues surrounding the Rio Baker dams and were a great way to start our trip.