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Mexico presence at COP: small but potentially significant steps

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Mexico presence at COP: small but potentially significant steps

During this COP23, Mexico was present, several government and civil representatives presented the efforts the country is doing at different levels and learned from others.

Mexico should use and internalize these learnings. Politically, Mexico will have an electoral year in 2018 that should allow its current and future policy makers to reflect, plan and come out again with innovations that can help it move forward in achieving global, regional and national ambitions.

This year’s main contributions made by this Latin-American country may not be the same as in Can-Cun 2010 but they are innovative and come at different levels. Some might grab some headlines and mark the beginning of new collaborations and of new global urban planning strategies.

Subnational level

Latin America is the most urbanized region in the world, with 80% of its population living in cities.

Hence, innovations and ambitions coming from one of the region’s megalopolis: Mexico City; are particularly relevant to support mitigation efforts globally.

National-Subnational Agreement

Mexico with Canada – in an initiative that was praised by Jerry Brown, the Governor of California – signed an agreement with the US Climate Alliance to work regionally to stop climate change. This innovative agreement is the first signed among parties and non-parties (national and sub-national governments), and it looks forward to develop the existing regional dialogue for impactful solutions to shared problems.

Mexico City electromobility plans and ambitions

During COP 23, Mexico won the first place among 450 contestants in the “Data for Climate Action” Prize awarded during COP23. This award comes from the strategy done for Mexico City by the country’s Institution for Climate Change (INECC) which uses the data of platforms such as Waze and Google Popular Times to base the city’s electromobility infrastructure planning and make it as efficient and low-emission as possible.

Furthermore, Mexico City, as part of the C40 coalition, and along with 25 pioneering cities, representing 150 million citizens, pledged to develop and begin implementing more ambitious climate action plans before the end of 2020 to deliver emissions neutral and climate resilient cities by 2050. More cities are expected to join.

As a global actor, Mexico also became part of the UK and Canada led coalition against coal. This is in line with the global role that the country has looked to have in recent years and keeps up with the intentions of being seen as a responsible actor and an innovator.

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