Abstract

The Chilean Environmental Courts are governed by the rules of the free assessment of evidence, according to which they assess it freely. In this context, the environmental judges must express the legal, logical, scientific, technological or experience reasons, to attribute a value or reject. These rules, in the light of the precautionary principle and the technical training of judges, allow to integrate climate change, such as an important element of context to assess the productive activity (mining) impacts in groundwater in a desert area in Chile.integrate climate change, such as an important element of context to assess the productive activity (mining) impacts in groundwater in a desert area in Chile.