Abstract

Currently, in the south area of Chile, most of the main cities have been declared saturated zones because of local pollution, which has had negative consequences on human health. The largest source of air pollution is the emissions from burning firewood inside households for heating during winter. In fact, Chile has one of the highest per capita consumptions of firewood in the region. The causes of the problem are varied and have complex interrelations, from poor insulation of housing, poor quality of the wood that comes to a highly disaggregated market, among others involving producers, distributors, and users; having feedback on the health and wellbeing of the population, energy poverty indicators, local economy, sustainability of forest resource and national energy security. Dozens of studies and research have been carried out to date, analyzing the problem from different perspectives. This study presents a comprehensive literature review in order to characterize the essential elements adopting a systemic approach, examining its determining factors and the way in which they interrelate.