95TH MEMBER OF ISA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Recently, Chile became the 95th member of the International Solar Alliance.

Chile

• Capital: Santiago
• Location: Situated along the western seaboard of South America.
• Chile’s relief is for the most part mountainous, with the Andes range dominating the landscape.
• Shares borders with: Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the south.
• Desert: The Atacama desert, one of the driest places globally, is located in northern Chile.
• It serves as a source of sodium nitrate fertilizer, contributing to Chile's economy.
• Climate Zones: Northern Chile is mostly arid desert, while the central region with cities like Santiago is temperate and densely populated.
• South-central Chile features a temperate, humid climate suitable for agriculture.
• Copper Town: Chuquicamata is the world's largest copper town, contributing significantly to Chile's economy.
• Li Producer: Chile ranks among the world's top lithium-producing countries, along with Australia, China, and Argentina.

International Solar Alliance

• About: It is an action-oriented, member-driven, collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies. Launched: COP21 (2015), the UN climate meeting in Paris
• Headquarter: Gurugram, India
• Vision: Let us together make the sun brighter.
• Mission: Every home no matter how far away, will have a light at home.
• Member Countries: 95 countries (including new member Chile).