Environmental Policies
#30Key Findings
Despite growing public awareness of environmental issues, Mexico receives a comparatively low overall ranking (rank 30) with respect to environmental policies. Its score in this area has declined by 0.3 points relative to 2014.
A landmark climate-change law went into effect in 2012, followed by a 2013 emissions-reductions reform. However, Mexico is still the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in Latin America, and the importance of the oil industry creates barriers to domestic action.
The López Obrador administration has focused on “energy sovereignty” rather than sustainability. The government’s policy prioritizes environmentally harmful and soon-to-be obsolete power generation technologies and hinders the expansion of renewable energy. Many companies do not comply with existing regulations, a problem exacerbated by the high degree of informality.
Serious environmental problems persist, including the provision of clean water, air pollution in Mexico City, and rural deforestation and erosion. Policy strides have been made particularly in air-quality regulation. Water consumption and pollution norms are less advanced.
A landmark climate-change law went into effect in 2012, followed by a 2013 emissions-reductions reform. However, Mexico is still the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in Latin America, and the importance of the oil industry creates barriers to domestic action.
The López Obrador administration has focused on “energy sovereignty” rather than sustainability. The government’s policy prioritizes environmentally harmful and soon-to-be obsolete power generation technologies and hinders the expansion of renewable energy. Many companies do not comply with existing regulations, a problem exacerbated by the high degree of informality.
Serious environmental problems persist, including the provision of clean water, air pollution in Mexico City, and rural deforestation and erosion. Policy strides have been made particularly in air-quality regulation. Water consumption and pollution norms are less advanced.
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Graph View
How effectively does environmental policy in your country protect and preserve the sustainability of natural resources and environmental quality?
10
9
9
Environmental policy goals are ambitious and effectively implemented as well as monitored within and across most relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
8
7
6
7
6
Environmental policy goals are mainly ambitious and effectively implemented and are monitored within and across some of the relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
5
4
3
4
3
Environmental policy goals are neither particularly ambitious nor are they effectively implemented and coordinated across relevant policy sectors.
2
1
1
Environmental concerns have been largely abandoned.
Mexico faces a number of very serious environmental challenges. The provision of clean water to Mexico City, air pollution in the capital and other major cities, deforestation and erosion in rural Mexico are some of the most pressing problems. While environmental policy has become more sophisticated, particularly in Mexico City and other major cities, the enforcement of environmental standards and regulations is often lacking. It is worth noting the substantial variation between government levels and across issues; the federal government is much more capable, with better and more efficient regulations and monitoring. This is not the case at the local level, where funds, human capital, and administrative resources are often scarce. In terms of environmental issues, Mexico has very strong air quality regulations and made significant progress over the last two decades. In contrast, norms regulating water consumption and pollution are far less advanced.
From a comparative perspective, the government’s recent economic reforms were more diluted and slower to pass than its environment legislation, but implementation of policies and regulations remains a major challenge. Many companies do not comply with existing regulations and the high degree of informality in the economy is further aggravating the challenge of non-compliance. Despite an increasing awareness of environmental challenges among the broader population, particularly among the young, public pressure and support for environmental NGOs remains weak when compared to many other OECD countries. Business interest groups are much more powerful than their environmental counterparts; environmental interests are still weakly nested in the major political parties.
Despite a 2013 energy reform aimed at incentivizing the use of renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by requiring the largest consumers to purchase a portion of their electricity from clean energy sources, the renewable energy sector has been the subject of intense criticism from the López Obrador administration. The president sees the expansion of renewable energy as a departure from state sovereignty in the energy sector, as renewables would be promoted primarily by foreign private investors, who would also provide overpriced and poor services to Mexican consumers. Furthermore, López Obrador has been heavily criticized by environmentalists. In particular, criticisms have focused on his three major projects: the construction of a new Santa Lucia airport, the troubled Tren Maya railway project and the construction of the Dos Bocas oil refinery.
Furthermore, the current Mexican government is pursuing a nationalistic energy policy that prioritizes the use of environmentally harmful and soon-to-be obsolete power generation technologies and hinders the expansion of renewable energy. According to AMLO, the latter is not reliable enough. AMLO is also aiming for extensive nationalization of the energy sector, which was partially privatized under the previous government. He wants in this way to make a contribution to the country’s “energy sovereignty,” but is at the same time failing to accord enough importance to innovation and technological change.
Citations:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/mexico_renewable_energy_future_0.pdf
https://ecoosfera.com/2018/04/ley-de-biodiversidad-peligro-medio-ambiente-mexico-2018/
https://elpais.com/internacional/2019/07/25/mexico/1564070598_951499.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanielparishflannery/2021/04/22/political-risk-analysis-is-mexico-declaring-war-against-clean-energy/
https://www.dw.com/de/mexiko-schwimmt-gegen-den-strom/a-59478792
From a comparative perspective, the government’s recent economic reforms were more diluted and slower to pass than its environment legislation, but implementation of policies and regulations remains a major challenge. Many companies do not comply with existing regulations and the high degree of informality in the economy is further aggravating the challenge of non-compliance. Despite an increasing awareness of environmental challenges among the broader population, particularly among the young, public pressure and support for environmental NGOs remains weak when compared to many other OECD countries. Business interest groups are much more powerful than their environmental counterparts; environmental interests are still weakly nested in the major political parties.
Despite a 2013 energy reform aimed at incentivizing the use of renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by requiring the largest consumers to purchase a portion of their electricity from clean energy sources, the renewable energy sector has been the subject of intense criticism from the López Obrador administration. The president sees the expansion of renewable energy as a departure from state sovereignty in the energy sector, as renewables would be promoted primarily by foreign private investors, who would also provide overpriced and poor services to Mexican consumers. Furthermore, López Obrador has been heavily criticized by environmentalists. In particular, criticisms have focused on his three major projects: the construction of a new Santa Lucia airport, the troubled Tren Maya railway project and the construction of the Dos Bocas oil refinery.
Furthermore, the current Mexican government is pursuing a nationalistic energy policy that prioritizes the use of environmentally harmful and soon-to-be obsolete power generation technologies and hinders the expansion of renewable energy. According to AMLO, the latter is not reliable enough. AMLO is also aiming for extensive nationalization of the energy sector, which was partially privatized under the previous government. He wants in this way to make a contribution to the country’s “energy sovereignty,” but is at the same time failing to accord enough importance to innovation and technological change.
Citations:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/mexico_renewable_energy_future_0.pdf
https://ecoosfera.com/2018/04/ley-de-biodiversidad-peligro-medio-ambiente-mexico-2018/
https://elpais.com/internacional/2019/07/25/mexico/1564070598_951499.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanielparishflannery/2021/04/22/political-risk-analysis-is-mexico-declaring-war-against-clean-energy/
https://www.dw.com/de/mexiko-schwimmt-gegen-den-strom/a-59478792
Graph View
To what extent does the government actively contribute to the design and advancement of global environmental protection regimes?
10
9
9
The government actively contributes to international efforts to design and advance global environmental protection regimes. In most cases, it demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, contributes to their being advanced and has introduced appropriate reforms.
8
7
6
7
6
The government contributes to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes. It demonstrates commitment to existing regimes and occasionally contributes to their being advanced and/or has introduced some appropriate reforms.
5
4
3
4
3
The government demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, but does not contribute to their being advanced and has not introduced appropriate reforms.
2
1
1
The government does not contribute to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes.
Mexico is a leading international actor on environmental policy within the region, even if its domestic policies are inconsistent: Mexico is still the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in Latin America. Firewood remains the primary fuel used by poor Mexican families. Moreover, the importance of the oil industry for the Mexican economy creates substantial barriers to credible domestic action even as it seeks to position itself as a pioneer in international environmental protection.
Mexican authorities and the public are at least much more aware of environmental issues and their resulting problems than they were a generation ago. The country’s climate-change law went into effect in October 2012, drawing international praise. There is an underfunded Climate Change Fund, created to finance adaptation and greenhouse gas emissions-reduction initiatives. Its operating rules have apparently been completed, but have not yet been published. Additional challenges associated with implementing the law relate to the creation of a national climate-change information system, the effective reduction of greenhouse gases, and producing assessments of adaptation and mitigation measures. Mexico is also one of the main recipients of clean development mechanisms in Latin America. It has advocated for the continuation of this development and environmental cooperation mechanism in several environmental policy forums.
Overall, Mexico was one of the first countries in the world to pass a specific law on climate change. The law set an obligatory target of reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. The country also has a National Climate Change Strategy, which is intended to guide policymaking over the next 40 years. Furthermore, Mexico has been very active in the preparation of the U.N. Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) agenda, reflecting the country’s traditional multilateral approach to foreign policymaking. Mexico has been an active participant in climate-change talks involving international organizations.
However, President López Obrador has yet to emerge as an internationally networked environmentalist. He did not travel to COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, and is considered an opponent of renewable energy. Unlike large parts of the global community, he continues to promote fossil fuels such as gas and oil. All in all, the global stance of Mexico in this crucial area is far from sufficient, and the president is failing to recognize the urgency of this topic for Mexico.
Citations:
https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/mexico/
https://www.dw.com/de/mexiko-schwimmt-gegen-den-strom/a-59478792
Mexican authorities and the public are at least much more aware of environmental issues and their resulting problems than they were a generation ago. The country’s climate-change law went into effect in October 2012, drawing international praise. There is an underfunded Climate Change Fund, created to finance adaptation and greenhouse gas emissions-reduction initiatives. Its operating rules have apparently been completed, but have not yet been published. Additional challenges associated with implementing the law relate to the creation of a national climate-change information system, the effective reduction of greenhouse gases, and producing assessments of adaptation and mitigation measures. Mexico is also one of the main recipients of clean development mechanisms in Latin America. It has advocated for the continuation of this development and environmental cooperation mechanism in several environmental policy forums.
Overall, Mexico was one of the first countries in the world to pass a specific law on climate change. The law set an obligatory target of reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. The country also has a National Climate Change Strategy, which is intended to guide policymaking over the next 40 years. Furthermore, Mexico has been very active in the preparation of the U.N. Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) agenda, reflecting the country’s traditional multilateral approach to foreign policymaking. Mexico has been an active participant in climate-change talks involving international organizations.
However, President López Obrador has yet to emerge as an internationally networked environmentalist. He did not travel to COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, and is considered an opponent of renewable energy. Unlike large parts of the global community, he continues to promote fossil fuels such as gas and oil. All in all, the global stance of Mexico in this crucial area is far from sufficient, and the president is failing to recognize the urgency of this topic for Mexico.
Citations:
https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/mexico/
https://www.dw.com/de/mexiko-schwimmt-gegen-den-strom/a-59478792