Background on Mexico’s Climate Change Efforts
Mexico currently emits around 784 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. In recent years, Mexico has ranked among the top 15 countries with the highest emissions globally, though its percentage is around 1.5% of total emissions, far from the amounts emitted in regions like China (32%), the United States (13%), and India (7.3%).
Although Mexico’s annual emissions are about 12 percentage points below the projected figures for the 2025 scenario, this reflects positive outcomes from climate mitigation policies over the past decade. The current administration aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030, including an annual decrease of approximately 140 million tonnes of CO₂.
New National Climate Change Strategy
On Tuesday, Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), led by biologist and diplomat Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, officially presented the updated National Climate Change Strategy (ENCC). The strategy outlines five action areas for adaptation: communities and populations, productive systems with a focus on food security, ecosystem and biodiversity adaptation, water resource management, and addressing strategic infrastructure and tangible cultural heritage.
These action areas encompass 35 specific lines of action requiring collaboration between governments, private sector, and civil society. The project involves three federal agencies: the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation, the Secretariat of Defense, and the Secretariat of Women.
The Inevitability of Ecological Transition
Regarding the ENCC objectives, particularly the reduction equivalent to 140 million tonnes of CO₂, SEMARNAT’s head stated, “Yes, it can be done if we set our minds to it, and if we achieve it, we will be able to tell the world that Mexico is one of the countries leading the climate change mitigation strategy.”
Bárcena Ibarra emphasized that agreements like the Paris Accord must adapt to fundamental change times due to environmental degradation and shifting international political stances.
“When the United States and the Trump administration decide to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, Mexico is convinced that no country or person, however powerful and influential, can stop the ongoing ecological transition,” Bárcena concluded.
She stressed that climate action is inevitable and urgent, emphasizing the need for broad public administration involvement, including the economic sector, to send clear signals to productive sectors and investments for sustainable investments in the country.
Crucial Year: 2025
The Danish ambassador, Kim Højlund, whose country has partnered with Mexico to strengthen climate change mitigation strategies, acknowledged that “Mexico is leading the movement to prevent global warming. This is even more relevant given the severe consequences of climate change already evident and at a time when some forces are pulling in the opposite direction.”
Peter Grohmann, ONU’s Resident Coordinator in Mexico, highlighted that “the update of this strategy arrives at a crucial moment in 2025, when all parties to the Paris Agreement must present their new contributions to limit global warming to 1.5°C.”
Simon Stiell, the UN’s Secretary-Executive on Climate Change, pointed out that the clean energy transition has created a global market worth 2 trillion dollars today, in which countries like Mexico can participate and reap significant benefits.
“It’s clear that the global renewables boom will continue to grow. With the right policies and a bold new climate plan like this one, Mexico can become an attractor for sustainable innovation and investment. You have all the ingredients: abundant renewable resources and a dynamic workforce.”
Key Questions and Answers
- What is Mexico’s current carbon dioxide emission level? Mexico emits around 784 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
- What percentage of global emissions does Mexico account for? Mexico’s emissions are approximately 1.5% of the total global emissions.
- What is Mexico’s new climate change target? Mexico aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030.
- What are the five action areas outlined in Mexico’s updated National Climate Change Strategy? The areas are communities and populations, productive systems with a focus on food security, ecosystem and biodiversity adaptation, water resource management, and addressing strategic infrastructure and tangible cultural heritage.
- What is the significance of 2025 in relation to the Paris Agreement? In 2025, all parties to the Paris Agreement must present their new contributions to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
- What is the potential of Mexico’s renewable resources and workforce for sustainable investments? Mexico has abundant renewable resources and a dynamic workforce, making it an attractive destination for sustainable innovation and investment with the right policies and a bold climate plan.
