If my roots reached deep underground, they would stumble upon the layers of sediment from years past. I can’t help but think about certain signs alongside la rambla. These signs talk about fossils (which I still have not figured out if they were found on those locations or not).  I was quite happy at the perfect segue to discuss energy usage in Uruguay: fossil fuels. I knew this country was a leading expert in renewables, but they must source some percentage of their energy from fossil fuels still.

I was proven wrong, once again.  For a couple of years now, Uruguay has consistently generated 100% of their electricity from renewable sources. There is a great public record of these statistics for those curious. Most of Uruguay’s energy comes from wind, while the other comes from the Salto Grande hydroelectric shared between by Uruguay and Argentina. This small South American country has been repeatedly considered a heavyweight in the wind energy industry.

However, sustainability wise, Uruguay has been lagging in other regards. Take water, for instance. The tap water, purified and provided by the government as most services here, was undrinkable two years ago. According to the government, everyone except pregnant women and sick people could drink it, During a historical moment dubbed Day Zero, the water reserves for Montevideo and the rest of the metropolitan area reached unprecendeted low levels. For months, tap water was dangerously salty. I asked my host mom about this, and she shared how her daughter´s water heater tank had to be changed due to the rust.

That crisis got resolved, and all of Uruguay’s citizens have access to potable water and clean energy! Or so, it seems. There are 665 informal settlements in Montevideo (similar to the favelas in Brazil). Most of these communities struggle to access these resources that, per the Constitution, are part of their inalienable rights as citizens. All the government agencies involved in these industries must address the social inequalities that hinder people’s enjoyment of water and energy. Even though these resources are sustainable, they must be equally accesible for all.