Open Veins of Latin America: Exploring Chile's Atacama Desert episode artwork

EPISODE · May 19, 2026 · 1H 1M

Open Veins of Latin America: Exploring Chile's Atacama Desert

from EcoJustice Radio · host SoCal 350 Media

We embark on the first part of a series from 2024 by Jack Eidt spotlighting the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, and its rich yet troubled history with mining. We delve into the environmental and social impacts of mining in this region, the historical context of Latin American exploitation, and the legacy of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Featuring poignant quotes from local authors and music that reflects Chile's cultural heritage, this episode is a profound exploration of eco-justice, history, and art. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles: Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium? PBS SoCal: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium Victor Loyola has a thirty year history working in the mining industry in the Atacama Desert of Chile and presently works in tourism at the Municipal Museum in Maria Elena, Chile. Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist/designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/]. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 229 Photo credit: Jack Eidt

We embark on the first part of a series from 2024 by Jack Eidt spotlighting the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, and its rich yet troubled history with mining. We delve into the environmental and social impacts of mining in this region, the historical context of Latin American exploitation, and the legacy of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Featuring poignant quotes from local authors and music that reflects Chile's cultural heritage, this episode is a profound exploration of eco-justice, history, and art. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles: Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium? PBS SoCal: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium Victor Loyola has a thirty year history working in the mining industry in the Atacama Desert of Chile and presently works in tourism at the Municipal Museum in Maria Elena, Chile. Jack Eidt is an environmental journalist, urban theorist/designer, and advocate for the wild, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. He also publishes articles and podcasts on Substack [https://jackeidt.substack.com/]. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 229 Photo credit: Jack Eidt

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Open Veins of Latin America: Exploring Chile's Atacama Desert

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This episode was published on May 19, 2026.

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We embark on the first part of a series from 2024 by Jack Eidt spotlighting the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, and its rich yet troubled history with mining. We delve into the environmental and social impacts of mining in this...

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