Category: Mexico News Brief and Action Alert

Mexico—Falling Behind Mexico has had continuous participation in the international climate change arena since the UNFCCC was established back in 1993. However, one can question whether Mexico’s engagement at the international level has translated into effective climate change policy. In ‘Not on the “Paris Track”: Climate Protection Efforts in Developing Countries’, authors Jann Lay and...

Special Program on Climate Change (PECC) The Special Program on Climate Change, PECC, is a federal level policy first published in 2009 as a result of the continuous involvement of the Mexican government in national and international debates surrounding climate change. It sets a long-term agenda, while also presenting short and medium-term plans. Currently Mexico...

Hurricane Patricia From a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just a matter of hours, Hurricane Patricia astonished Mexico and the world on October 23, 2015, as it became the most intense tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere and one of the strongest storms ever recorded globally. After reaching the west coast of...

Broadcast Media Mexico’s No. 1 TV and radio broadcaster, Televisa, is a multimedia company owned by the Azcárraga family. Televisa has become a television monopoly, controlling 70% of the broadcast television market. In addition, by broadcasting several channels through free-to-air services, its coverage reaches almost 95% of Mexican homes, which rely on this mean of...

Regions/Provinces/States Baja California—Baja California is a pioneer state in renewable energy developments. In 2010 it participated in the building of 200 houses with solar panels. Moreover, the same year the wind park “La Rumorosa I” opened with a capacity of 10 MW. There is an on-going energy efficiency program that replaces air conditioners, refrigerators, light...

Government Official Rodolfo Lacy Tamayo Vice Minister for Environmental Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources As the Vice Minister for Environmental Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Rodolfo Lacy Tamayo oversees the development of environmental government actions through policy and planning. He worked for 8...

Research Study: “Modelación de descarbonización profunda del sistema energético en México al 2050”, National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático), prepared by Jorge Alberto Francisco Tovilla Cao-Romero, July of 2015 In 2015, the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change in Mexico funded and published a report on...

Mexico: The General Law on Climate Change The General Law on Climate Change (GLCC) is Mexico’s main legal instrument for climate change mitigation and adaptation. At the time of its endorsement in 2012 it represented a milestone in legal and regulatory development for the country, since it incorporated the institutionalization of former policies that the...

How The Energy System Is Structured The energy sector in Mexico is managed by the Ministry of Energy. It is divided in two subsectors: hydrocarbons and electricity. Both are operated through the whole productive chain by two state-owned companies, called “productive state enterprises.” PEMEX (Mexican Petroleum) is in charge of the hydrocarbons; electricity is mainly...

Leading Emission Reduction Challenges: (a) Rising consumer and/or industrial demand for energy-intensive products and services; (b) Dependence on fossil fuels as energy sources; (c) Problems implementing climate change policy and programs   Current Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels Mexico’s level of greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 was 748 million tons of CO2 equivalents (MtCO2e), according to the...