Author: IKI Alliance
Tourism can be a sustainable activity that boosts economic reactivation, while at the same time protecting natural capital, by reducing the vulnerability of destinations to climate change. Since 2017, Guanajuato has been working closely with the project “Ecosystem-based adaptation for the tourism sector in Mexico” (ADAPTUR) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on a first phase in San Miguel de Allende. It is one of the 3 pilot sites and where 5 of the 7 ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) measures targeted by the project were implemented. In this site, the measures focused on soil recovery and water provision, implemented with the support of the municipal government and civil society associations.
For the second phase of the project, the focus has broadened to include joint work at the state level between the Ministries of Environment and Land Management (SMAOT) and Tourism (SECTUR), with the support of ADAPTUR and Reforestemos México A.C. It aims to make progress on climate change adaptation in the state and strengthen the links between the tourism and environmental sectors through coordinated interagency work. In addition, this process has actively involved the private tourism sector through a mechanism for financing EbA measures in state Natural Protected Areas (NPAs). These areas have high economic value because they are key to the provision of ecosystem services, tourism and the reduction of the sector’s vulnerability to climate change.
The process is known as the “Emblem Project” for being a pioneer in the field at the regional and national level. As part of the project, a roadmap has been designed to compile lessons learned and promote the replication of these efforts by other interested states. These types of alliances are becoming increasingly meaningful and important in promoting a green economic recovery that guarantees the wellbeing of people and ecosystems, understanding that one cannot exist without the other.
After almost three years of developing the Subnational Climate Action Transparency Agenda Information System (SIAT-Subnational), a large number of lessons were learned that are made available through this guide.
Climate change is an issue that requires solutions at the international level, but at the same time, the implementation of actions takes place at the local level. In this sense, collaboration between different levels of government strengthens transparency and climate ambition.
For this reason, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance and various subnational governments, designed and implemented an innovative and transparent system for tracking the contributions of the federal entities to the country’s climate commitments: the SIAT-Subnational.
The development of the system offered several lessons learned about the experience, objectives, methodology and critical factors involved in the creation and application of a SIAT-Subnational. These lessons will help other countries in Latin America and the world replicate and adapt similar systems.
We invite you to consult the Quick Implementation Guide of the SIAT-Subnational by clicking on the following image:
Mexico is highly vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, including droughts, floods and heavy rains, which pose threats to the states and the communities inhabiting them. Faced with this scenario, climate action at the local level is crucial to mitigating and adapting to climate change.
In order to include the contribution of states and municipalities in the climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, and to ensure transparency on the completed actions, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), with the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance, developed the “Subnational Climate Action Transparency Agenda Information System (SIAT-Subnational)”.
After almost 3 years of development and capacity building for the states to use the system, the launch event of the SIAT-Subnational took place on 17 August 2022 in a hybrid format.
The event was hosted by María Luisa Albores González, head of SEMARNAT; Dr. Agustín Ávila Romero, Director General of Climate Action Policies (DGPAC); Immanuel Brand, Cooperation Policy Advisor of the German Embassy and Dr. Adriana Bustamante, Secretary of the Climate Change and Sustainability Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.
The design and development of the system was presented by Diana Guzmán Torres, Director of Climate Change Mitigation Policies. In addition, Suriel Islas, Deputy Director of Monitoring Actions to Promote Sustainable Development of SEMARNAT, discussed the process and mechanisms for the implementation of the system.
The heads of the Ministries of Environment of Mexico City, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Puebla and Sonora participated in the event, all of whom were part of the piloting and development of the Subnational SIAT. They offered recommendations and discussed the advantages of local contributions to increasing climate ambition.
With this launch, Mexico becomes the first country in the Latin American region to have a climate action tracking system at the local level, leaving no one behind. We invite you to learn more about it here.
We invite all 32 states to report their actions! Don’t be left out!
- Video: Transparency Agenda Information System:
In the framework of the Latin American Climate Assets Disclosure Initiative (LACADI), the report “Barriers to the inclusion of Climate Change opportunities and risks in financial sector investment decisions in Mexico” was published in July 2022.
This document serves as a fundamental reference for institutional investors to recognise the current state of the climate issue, take the opportunity to strengthen their capacities and focus their efforts on including climate change variables in their investment decisions.
The LACADI team identified seven main barriers to incorporating the analysis and information about climate change risks and opportunities into investment decisions in Mexico:
- Lack of climate information for investment decision-making.
- Lack of standardisation of climate information and available Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) indicators.
- Lack of technical capacity of institutional investors to integrate climate factors into investment decisions.
- Regulatory vacuum and legal uncertainty for effective climate disclosure.
- Shortage in the supply of projects and assets, as there is a large gap in demand for well-structured projects under certain criteria that are financially viable and attractive to institutional investors.
- The structure, size and shape of the financial market. The majority of institutional investors’ investments in the private sector are concentrated in a very small number of Mexican companies, which affects the diversification of investment portfolios. The ambition of the federal agenda and the country’s energy policies make it impossible for institutional investors to address one of the biggest areas of opportunity for the transition to a low-carbon economy in a cost-effective manner.
- Lack of definition of a national sustainable taxonomy. There is distrust of labelled financial products because of the arbitrariness of how and by whom the label is defined.
Once the relationship between the sector’s business model and its potential to contribute to climate action is understood, institutional investors will undoubtedly be powerful agents of change.
The full report, conclusions and analysis are available here.
The consequences of climate change, such as rising temperatures, rising sea levels and the intensification of extreme hydro-meteorological events can have adverse effects on ecosystems, production systems and the quality of life of the population. Because Mexico is a country highly vulnerable to these impacts, it is a priority to have robust adaptation and mitigation policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increase resilience and strengthen the country’s adaptive capacity.
In order to support Mexico in meeting its climate goals and to promote a greener and more inclusive future, the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and part of the International Climate Protection Initiative (IKI), is working with the Government of Mexico to strengthen the country’s climate policy.
We invite you to learn about the efforts to contribute to Mexico’s commitments to the Paris Agreement, resulting from the #CooperACTION driven by the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance. Click on the image below:
