CLIMATE LEADERS: Mexico will soon become the first developing nation to institute legal measures to restrain emissions of greenhouse gases.
Image: Senado de la República
Mexico's Senate unanimously approved landmark climate change legislation yesterday that sets the country on a pioneering path to drastically reduce its domestic greenhouse gas emissions.
The measure calls for Mexico to cut carbon 30 percent below business-as-usual growth by 2030 and 50 percent by midcentury. It now goes to President Felipe Calderón, who has championed action to control climate change and is expected to sign it.
Once the legislation is finalized, Mexico will be only the second country after the United Kingdom to have domestic global warming legislation in place, activists said. It also will be a leader among developing nations taking concrete steps to rein in explosive carbon growth.
"No developing country in the world has a climate law, let alone a climate law that has this vision and this ambition, that integrates all of the sectors at the national level in a system for climate change," said Vanessa Perez-Cirera, head of climate and energy programs for WWF Mexico.
Mexico is the world's 11th-largest economy, as well as the 11th-largest greenhouse gas emitter. But under the rules of the U.N. climate change regime, it is not yet obligated to curb carbon. Activists said yesterday that Mexico has a long way to go -- the new bill, which passed 78-0 just a week after overwhelming House passage, does not put a price on carbon, nor does it mandate that the country meet the emission reduction goals.
But by putting the targets into law and mandating a set of regulations -- including requiring 35 percent of the country's electricity to come from clean sources by 2024; establishing a voluntary carbon market; developing incentives to promote renewable energy; phasing out fossil fuel subsidies; and forcing companies in the largest carbon polluting sectors to report their emissions -- they said the results could be groundbreaking.
"It's a major thing. We're making these targets legally binding, so we're actually putting our actions where our mouth is," Perez-Cirera said.
A surprise vote
"No longer in the future will the business community, or even a large number of members from Pemex [Mexico's state-owned petroleum company] or local governments be able to say, 'I'm not obliged to do anything.' We've heard that so often," said Adrian Fernandez, environmental and climate adviser to the dean of Metropolitan University in Mexico City.
Particularly critical, Fernandez said, are provisions that establish a high-level climate change commission and a national emissions registry, as well as give the National Institute of Ecology -- sort of an in-house think tank to the environment ministry -- expanded powers. The agency also gets a new name, the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change.
"This is not a small thing. Now, for the very first time, the various ministries and many others will be able to allocate explicitly financial resources devoted to both mitigation and adaptation," he said. "This will help Mexico in going to the next stage in climate policies, which is tackling the challenge of implementation. Now it's about time to be really moving forward in very serious implementation."
Mexico's iron and steel trade association, CANACERO (Cámara Nacional de la Industria del Hierro y del Acero) did not respond yesterday to a request for comment. The industry group over the past several months has warned that the measure could lead to job losses and hurt the industry's competitiveness.
Analysts said they believe the measure will help shift dynamics in the international climate change talks, where developing and industrialized countries continue to struggle over taking legally binding commitments to cut carbon emissions.
"We see it is in Mexico's interest to achieve these goals, and I would hope Mexico is giving an interesting signal to other countries that this is possible," said Andres Avila, Mexico representative for the Washington, D.C-based Center for Clean Air Policy.
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17 Comments
Add CommentSo the net affect will be that private citizens in Mexico will just have to pay a little more in their bribes to the buarcrates. Thats how the game is played in most of these countries. They make lots of rules and for the right price you can ignor them, thats what cap and trade is it has nothing to do with actually helping the climate.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTrying to read the second paragraph as carefully as possible it appears to say that Mexico's goal is to reduce the GROWTH of CO2 production by 2030 to 70% of what that growth would be if they didn't do anything. (And 50% of that growth by 2050). If someone else has an interpretation of that different than mine please correct me. A worthy goal certainly, but not all that earthshaking.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMexico has been energized by the success and payback of the Mexico City Pollution cleanup. The 'grand plan' could be dashed by the reality of recession, but the pro-pollutionist forces took one on the chin when the City showcased what reducing pollution can mean to the population.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"If anything it shows your warmist scam really is a scam because you can only get back water nightmare tyrannical governments to play along."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe UK is a back water tyrannical country? Well that is certainly the mindset of the average denier. If you can't understand something just start bad mouthing the people that do. What the heck, if you can't sound intelligent, snark your way out of it.
Well said. These conservative deniers always amaze me in how stupid they are. I commend Mexico for at least taking a step in the right direction. And how do these deniers of everything, not know that the drug cartels was not the ones who forced the government to come up with these clean environment laws? Why would they think that clean air, clean water, and clean land would not benefit the drug cartels the most? It is common knowledge that clean water, clean air, and clean land can double vegetation growth. If the drug cartel can double their production, they can double their profits and that will create a lot of jobs, and America and Canada seem very eager to buy all the drugs the cartel can provide.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMexico.....Ha! ha! ha!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow about some actual journalism?
"Analysts said they believe the measure will help ..."
Well, those are STUPID analysts. Any anaslyst with a brain wouldn't believe a friggin thing the Mexican government gives lip service to.
Pathetic journalism.
pridserrasn: "Haha, what a joke. I wonder if anyone told SA the drug cartels run Mexico"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTrue. in February stayed a week at a small resort near Cancun. There was a pre-teen boy pouring the hotel human waste into a pond....in plain view. I'm sure there were 'regulations' against it but ...what the heck...it's Mexico.
Three cheers for Mexican environmental laws. Ha! ha! ha!
Jolly old england. One of my favorite places to visit, just avert Tokyo and Manila. Well friend, since you warmists consider a country like England, Japan and America to be the great satan of capitalism and evil industrial might hell bent on the death of all humans with the stated goal to purposely pollute the planet until it is a wasteland, the same joke applies. No Britian is not a back water but since it is an "evil" capitalist nation, having the backing of them is little better than being backed by Mexico. According to you warmists , the evil corporations and their bought and paid for politicians are not going to really reduce any pollution any more than the cartel owned politicians of mexico will.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo your point is what? I dont sound intelligent? You warmists are the ones who created a prophet known as computer models and have been making predictions of Armageddon for your warmist bibles for decades. While the rest of us attempt to actually find out what is going on in the real world.
When you can't attack the actual legislation, hurl invective, denigrate the decision makers and insert some obscured profanity for good measure. Such scientific professionalism!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell written thoughtful and as this fine publication would insist FACTUAL article.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's a sad sad day indeed. Two of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet have given up on doing anything about the problems facing future generations and this one as either for that matter.
It will be interesting to see if some Central American and Caribbean countries adopt a similar attitude. I sincerely hope that an utter shaming by the junior partner in NAFTA will register with the conbots. I'm not holding my breath on that one though.
If we can take money out of politics all this other nonsense will go away.
Thw WWF needs to be investigated for crimes against humanity, stripped of it's charitable status and it's leaders jailed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2012/04/21/mother-mexico-the-jackals/
I'm confused. I thought the Climategate emails had established that many prominent international climate scientists had been manipulating, cherry-picking and deleting data to achieve their desired aims of proving global warming. These emails also highlighted issues with refusing to allow other scientists to check their work and preventing alternative views from being published. I have not heard of those mentioned in the emails as claiming the emails are fake. Why would evidence need to be fabricated if there was genuine proof which would leave the deniars and sceptics without a leg to stand on and why has there not been outrage within the scientific community over this? Is it accepted that the emails were fake, or that there is genuine data so what happened doesn't matter or the end justifies the means or are climate scientists permitted to do this sort of thing? Haven't the models been proven wrong for over a decade? Why do some claim there has been no significant warming for 15 years whilst others say it is still occurring? I would appreciate any replies in layman's language, thanks.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUsing the words Mexico and 'environmentalism' in the same sentence has the same irony as calling North Korea by it's official name 'The Democratic Republic of..."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis magazine has become a total joke. Right up there with Popular Mechanics. Anytime I want to see what the scammers on currently doing with "climate change" I come here. And you people that actually buy into this stuff? Pay Al Gore and his ilk money and this saves the planet? Pay the bankers and save the economy too. Pay for the TSA and save us from terrorism. Pay the military contractors and save us from Iran. Just keep paying and believing this nonsense you idiots.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe WWF sees Mexico as "the soft under-belly of America". Nothing more. The WWF and it's 1%er elite could care less about any of the people of Mexico or pandas for that matter.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTheir an excellent example of how power and $$ devolve and corrupt every ideal. The only difference is they are completely and utterly unaccountable.
We have a ultra low emissions high efficiency multifuel inexpensive turbine that can run on NG, diesel, HHO, or gasoline. It will outperform reciprocals at a fraction the price much longer duty cycle (e.g., 1 million Miles). Would like to bring to Mexico and embed in on-site cogeneration ofelectricity at discount pricing using Nat Gas, as well as life time green engine replacement for cars, trucks, buses, marine engines... Can be manufactured in country without outsourcing. Looking into more daunting apps, such as a made in Mexico high performance Turbine car, multifuel, green… inexpensive.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSuggestions?
Sannerwind@gmail.com
So.. the MSM picks up the story that Wal-Mart has been accused of bribery to get it's stores into Mexico. Interesting, and so the question must be asked:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDid the WWF also pay to get it's product on Mexican shelves?
I think the Justice Department should investigate the WWF to see how many $$$$ it "contributed" to various politicians and local officials to get it's particular brand of pulled pork on the menu.
Very little happens in Mexico without the appropriate palms being greased.