Chile achieved significant progress in integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation action as it wraps up its Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) project. This collaborative effort, led by the Ministry of Environment and supported by Tepual Conservación, established the foundations for the incorporation and monitoring of integration measures –covering adaptation and mitigation– into climate management strategies, directly supporting the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) goals.

The project’s completion was marked by a closing workshop on 30 June 2025, where Minister of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, highlighted this milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen its climate action. 

“For a long time, we have advanced mitigation and adaptation agendas in parallel. Today, thanks to the advances of our public policy, we understand that the integration of both dimensions is not just an opportunity but a necessity.”

ICAT Director Dr. Henning Wuester praised Chile’s progress.

“Chile’s experience demonstrates that an integrated approach allows for more effective responses to climate change.”

The workshop gathered national stakeholders to showcase how the project’s results can lead to more robust climate responses, aligning with Chile’s long-term commitments and ongoing efforts to strengthen its NDCs. Key accomplishments include:

• The development of a clear conceptual framework for integrated climate responses, including definitions tailored to Chile’s national context. This foundational framework provided input for enhancing Chile’s draft NDC 3.0, pinpointing significant potential for mitigation and adaptation integration in key sectors, such as agro-livestock, urban planning, and fire management.
• The inclusion of a dedicated chapter on integration measures in Chile’s first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) highlighing the country’s progress and challenges in integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. The project also identified challenges and provided recommendations for future BTR reporting, with a particular focus on distinguishing measures that directly contribute to the NDC from those that deliver mitigation co-benefits.
• The establishment of implementation guidelines for sectoral plans to effectively incorporate integration measures, filling a previous methodological void. 
• Progress in methodological work to quantify mitigation co-benefits derived from adaptation measures. This supported, for example, the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism in reporting quantifiable emissions reductions from urban parks. 

Chile’s innovative approach of embedding integrated climate measures into national strategies sets a precedent for more coherent and ambitious climate action on the global stage.