Abstract

Biomass combustion, particularly of firewood, remains a widespread energy practice in Chile, despite its environmental, climate, and health implications. While commonly classified as a renewable source, its uncontrolled use poses challenges for air quality, carbon mitigation, and energy equity - especially in southern Chile. However, long-term studies integrating sectorally disaggregated biomass consumption trends with the evolution of regulatory frameworks in Chile remain limited, restricting the understanding of how governance and policy drivers have shaped biomass use across sectors over time. This study examines the evolution of biomass use between 1960 and 2022 through a detailed review of Chile's National Energy Balance and 28 regulatory instruments across the industrial, residential, and electricity generation sectors. The analysis reveals that policy and regulatory changes - especially emission standards and decontamination plans - have significantly reduced residential firewood consumption while leaving industrial use largely unaffected. In contrast, the growth of biomass-based electricity generation appears to be driven by resource valorization policies and private-sector strategies. By integrating a complete historical review of Chile's National Energy Balance (1960-2022) with the evolution of 28 biomass-related regulatory instruments, this study offers new sectorally disaggregated evidence on the historical influence of policy developments and highlights systemic challenges that affect the governance of biomass use in Chile. The findings highlight the uneven regulatory impact across sectors and regions and underscore the need for disaggregated data to support targeted, equitable energy policy. This long-term perspective also reveals persistent governance gaps that limit the effectiveness of existing regulatory instruments and hinder policy alignment across sectors. These results emphasize the importance of integrating biomass-related policies into broader energy and climate planning frameworks to ensure consistency between air-quality objectives, renewable energy targets, and decarbonization commitments. In addition, this study contributes new evidence to ongoing debates on biomass sustainability and provides actionable insights for countries seeking to align renewable energy promotion with environmental health and climate commitments.