Empresario inmobiliario y recientemente elegido consejero del Medio Ambiente recibió el premio al «Lavado verde»
This article presents a paradigmatic case of state-sponsored greenwashing, in which a real estate developer with a history of environmental damage was appointed to the Regional Environmental Advisory Council. The significance lies in how the State legitimizes actors whose destructive activities contradict ecological protection, allowing commercial interests to masquerade as conservation efforts in order to influence environmental governance and weaken public oversight. Moreno Sagredo has been publicly recognized for his “ecological neighborhoods” practices, which fragment ecosystems and circumvent impact assessments. His personal foundation, used as a facade to represent civil society on official councils, lacks genuine conservation activities, while his projects destroy native forests and endangered habitats. This discrepancy between a public green image and operational reality illustrates the central mechanism of greenwashing: the use of sustainability narratives to conceal strictly regulated practices that are systematically evaded. The situation underscores the urgent need for legislation that sanctions such practices to prevent entities with ecological facades from deceiving authorities and betraying public trust. The article warns of the risk that, by integrating these actors, the State may pervert its protective role. It is crucial to monitor that environmental policy is not co-opted by private interests seeking to legitimize their presence through green camouflage, thereby ensuring the integrity of institutions and the effectiveness of genuine conservation.
Source: elmostrador.clPublished on 2023-01-27