The eyes of the world’s astronomers are pointing to the most pristine skies on the planet. In a time marked by differences, the nations of the world come together to promote one of humanity’s greatest endeavors: to delve into the depths of the universe we inhabit. In the dry peaks of Atacama, where the atmosphere is thinner, vast astronomical observatories place their large mirrors and antennas, striving to sensitively capture the waves of space.

Simultaneously, in the same territory, the boom in copper and lithium mining drives a future that promises clean energy. The regions surrounding the Atacama Desert not only produce a large portion of the minerals that secure the world’s energy future, but are also at the forefront in the use of sustainable energy, mainly to meet the high demands imposed by the mining industry.

During these days, the project for a green hydrogen and ammonia plant is under debate, near the site where the world’s largest telescope is currently under construction. This energy development threatens to cloud the clarity of the skies that gaze into the universe, while at the same time promising a cleaner future for the planet.

“Pure, Chile, is your azure sky” is the opening line of the sung version of the national anthem; an emblematic beginning of the political-environmental paradoxes unfolding in the territories today called Chile./