Mexico’s new President, Latin America and the environment

Mexico's environmental legislation

and institutions have evolved well beyond its initial focus on pollution in the 1970s . The 80s and 90s witnessed the buildup of our current architecture: a law , an environment ministry and a federal attorney , a national institute of ecology , and national commissions on water, biodiversity, forests and protected areas.

With that framework, Mexico was getting ready to tackle its environmental challenges and fulfill the commitments made in Agenda 21 at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Soon we realized that the challenge wasn’t just enacting laws or creating institutions, but to abide by and enforce them. Progress was made in the 90s during the administration of President Ernesto Zedillo , thanks to the new ministry for the environment, natural resources and fisheries, led by environmentalist Julia Carabias.

Unfortunately, the environment wasn’t a priority for successive federal administrations . President Vicente Fox heavily politicized the institutions, and harmfully transferred fisheries' management to the ministry of agriculture and livestock, thus accelerating the overexploitation of marine resources. President Felipe Calderón played a key role at the 2010 UN climate change conference in Cancun; Mexican Congress passed a progressive climate change law two years later. But he also weakened the national institute of ecology and launched an ill-planned, expensive and ineffective national reforestation effort. President Enrique Peña Nieto further politicized institutions, crippling the protected areas, forests, and water commissions, and he trivialized environmental policies by declaring millions of hectares as “paper parks” in a last-ditch effort to leave a legacy.

The mandate given on July 1st to a new, more socially-oriented government lead by Andrés Manuel López Obrador , offers Mexico an historic opportunity to build a vision in which the environment underpins and enhances our development. As the region´s second largest economy, this also includes the obligation to become a leader in the effort for a sustainable and equitable Latin America. The announcement that former Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard (awarded the 2010 World Mayor Prize and who is committed towards sustainable development) will be the next foreign relations secretary is a good sign. Mexico´s position as a bridge between the United States and Latin America, including the major economies - Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Perú - gives the country a strategic advantage. Add Venezuela and Ecuador and we have nearly half of the world's megadiverse countries. Not a trivial global responsibility, but an amazing opportunity to lead the way.

Let’s not forget that Latin America is home to 40% of the planet´s biodiversity and the immense benefits arising from it. It has 9 million km² of tropical forests, boasts the largest carbon reserves, holds 30% of available freshwater, covers 700 million hectares of potential arable lands and produces 24% of the world´s fish catch. It is also home to 175 million people who live on less than US $ 1.25/day and often go to bed hungry, and it has a combined gross public debt of over US $ 2 trillion (38% of average GDP). Its population will reach 650 million in 2020, and 800 million in 2050. All these factors bring enormous environmental, economic, social and political challenges.

Latin American countries

endorsed Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development , a plan for prosperity and global peace , and support the main environmental treaties. Even so, we should strengthen partnerships with other economies with similar challenges , such as Indonesia, South Africa, China, and India. The ten so-called megadiverse countries together could really make the difference.

Notwithstanding economic turbulence, a global interconnected economy will only continue to grow. By the end of the century, the world´s urban population is likely to increase by over a billion and their consumption patterns will determine our global environmental footprint. Meanwhile, average global temperature is likely to exceed 2°C , causing biodiversity loss and decreasing food and water security worldwide.

If Latin America uses its enormous natural resources in a responsibly manner , the continent could show the way. This is our fundamental challenge, and Mexico´s new administration could set the pace by reaching out to leaders of all megadiverse countries - including the U.S. - to create a common front that reenergizes efforts to ensure that sustainable use of natural resources contributes to building vigorous economies and equitable societies. This will require a good dose of Latin America´s legendary magic realism, but it is worth trying.