Context
Poor air quality, traffic jams and waste disposal are detracting from people’s quality of life in Mexico on a day-to-day basis. Every year, this emerging economy incurs environmental costs amounting to almost 7% of its GDP – a figure that significantly outstrips the country’s economic growth rate. Although the Mexican Government has issued ambitious environmental policy goals, implementation remains difficult, especially at local level.
Objective
With their improved environmental management practices, cities and businesses in Mexico create an incentive for sustainable consumption, production and services.
Approach
Under a commission from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is working to raise the level of environmental management in Mexico’s cities and businesses. The aim is to make the consumption and production of goods and services more sustainable. This will help to protect the environment and create more opportunities for Mexicans to get ahead.
As part of a contest organized with Mexico’s Ministry of Environment (SEMARNAT) and its Ministry for Urban Development (SEDATU), three cities were selected to pilot a range of innovative projects. GIZ transfers these approaches from the pilot cities to other communities with similar environmental problems, inter alia, with assistance from the respective federal states. Hand in hand with the local governments, GIZ develops bespoke solutions for these cities’ needs, including more environmentally friendly transport options, energy-saving street lighting, efficient treatment of sewage and waste, better air quality and greater environmental awareness among the public. GOPA Infra GmbH supports these activities on the remediation of contaminated sites, sewage treatment and river restoration in the city of Salamanca.
In cooperation with the project partners, GIZ works to support the Mexican economy towards greater sustainability. Together with the Ministry of Environment (SEMARNAT) and various industrial associations, actions are taken to improve the sustainability and resource-efficiency of industrial parks. Furthermore, public institutions are advised on sustainable public procurement matters and instruments are developed to promote sustainable practices in the tourism sector. GOPA Consultants GmbH supports these efforts through training programmes on environmental management and sustainable production.
Evaluating practical experiences and involving representatives from civil society help in the formulation of better national-level environmental policies. At the same time, exchange platforms dedicated to urban development and air quality enable key players to coordinate their activities. Additionally, staff members receive training in the application of innovative instruments of environmental policy, such as strategic environmental impact assessments.
Results
Needs analyses in various municipalities in the federal state of Mexico showed that heavy traffic and air pollution in the city centres are a major burden on the population. A solution was found in the creation of low emission zones. In 2015, a GIZ-initiated interdisciplinary task force developed and implemented a holistic concept for the Ecozona Toluca, an area measuring almost three-square kilometers. With assistance of the Ministry of Environment of the federal state of Mexico, the concept of the low emission zone is further disseminated: a low emission zone with a special focus on sustainable mobility is being introduced in the industrial city of Tlalnepantla de Baz.
GIZ and the Mexican Association of Private Industry Parks (AMPIP) together identified suitable industrial parks for the implementation of pilot sustainability actions. Local experts who received training by the project advise the selected industrial parks on how to improve their sustainability performance and how to take appropriate measures. Furthermore, a site selection tool for planners and developers was created. It permits to take into account sustainability aspects already during the planning phase of industrial sites. The tool is linked to various Mexican databases, which makes it possible to examine potential industrial sites considering a multitude of sustainability criteria’s.