During COP 25 in Madrid, the governor of Jalisco and coordinator of the Committee on the Environment, Water Resources, and Climate Change (Conago), Enrique Alfaro, presented the Mexican Alliance of Governors for Climate, a multi-state partnership of governors for climate action. With the launch of this initiative, Mexican states are showing leadership and willingness to contribute to climate goals.
In Mexico, states have attributions on local policy, including climate policy. Subnational entities have a crucial role in achieving national climate goals; state governments have authority over 35% of potential abatement and local governments over 28%. Moreover, nearly 40% mitigation potential is identified through collaborative climate action among national, regional, and local governments.
Local governments understand that the transition to a low-carbon economy is beneficial not only in environmental terms, but also for achieving sustainable development, as it can help reduce poverty and improve equity, generate quality jobs, increase efficiency and competitiveness, reduce air pollution and environmental degradation, and advance energy security.
Looking to achieve Mexico’s commitments to the Paris Agreement, from the subnational scale, the alliance proposes 10 transversal strategies. These strategies are related to Local Climate Action Plans through actions in the areas of Public Transport and Sustainable Mobility; Integrated Waste Management; Halting Deforestation; Transition to clean energy; and Air Quality. Moreover, the initiative stresses coordination between different institutions and sectors, intergovernmental collaboration, as well as inclusion of the private sector for the implementation of the climate agenda.
Furthermore, the strategies are accompanied by four strategic commitments:
- Develop State Decarbonization Routes, consistent 1.5 ° C scenarios.
- Develop and implement Carbon Budgets at the state level, aligned to these routes.
- Create and consolidate strategic alliances with international cooperation agencies and the private sector.
- Strengthen the capacities of their municipalities and cities
In order to achieve this, the alliance envisions accompaniment and advice, as well as the promotion of collaboration mechanisms between municipalities and cities. This will entail exchange of experiences between alliance members, contact networks for technical cooperation and climate financing, capacity building, technical support, and strategies for showcasing success stories and progress.
Activity Rating: ****Moving Ahead
We applaud Conago’s initiative and hope the Alliance will be the first of many sub-national initiatives that look to contribute to the national goal and enhance Mexico’s commitment and actions, towards a fair and de-carbonized future. The empowerment of states to set their own funding schemes and local mitigation and adaptation strategies could mobilize private and public investments and identify the best decarbonization pathways according to local circumstances.
Take Action
Action Alert Message:
Many subnational governments have convincing commitments and action plans, meaning Mexico can present significant climate targets during COP26, next year in Glasgow. We hope this local action and commitment will be paralleled with National support and plans, generating a positive feedback ambition loop and aligning Mexico’s economy with the below 1.5C target, while the sustainable development of the country is ensured.
Contact
Committee on the Environment, Water Resources, and Climate Change (CONAGO)
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Mexico Country Managers Aline Nolasco Escalona and Valeria Lopez-Portillo
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.