The commitments assumed by Mexico in the Paris Agreement extend beyond climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and climate objectives can only be achieved through coordinated implementation at the national level.
In 2015, Mexico committed to meeting the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda and aligned its climate objectives with the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Although these are separate agendas, the goals of each complement each other. According to the study “Spinning the Web: The Co-Benefits Approach to an Integrated Implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement in Mexico,” it is important to consider how the co-benefits of the NDC can help achieve the SDGs and support policymaking that contributes to development goals.
The study highlights that climate change is a cross-cutting issue in the 2030 Agenda. For example, the results indicate that 40% of the SDGs directly affect climate mitigation and adaptation goals. These include, for example, Goal 2.4 on sustainable and resilient agricultural systems; 6.4 on the efficient use of water resources; 7.2 on renewable energy; and 11.2 on sustainable transport systems.
The implementation of the NDCs will help towards progress on the SDGs, including those related to technology adoption, reduced vulnerability, improvement in the quality of atmospheric basins, and in health and public administration. The NDC mitigation measures with the greatest impact will be those related to urban planning and the reduction of methane emissions from waste. All of Mexico’s NDC adaptation measures are related to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, particularly the climate actions with gender and human rights perspectives.
Despite identifying the potential co-benefits, the study authors emphasize that the co-benefits depend on adequate planning that carefully considers regulations and incentives, as well as the necessary resources for carrying out public policy. The most important area of opportunity is implementation, which remains crucial to enhancing the impact and reducing the cost of climate actions that contribute to both agendas. Only with an integral focus will Mexico be able to comply with its international commitments by 2030 and in the future.
The study about the co-benefits of the SDGs and NDC was developed in coordination with the Office of the Presidency of Mexico, the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), as well as the 2030 Agenda Initiative and the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The collaboration for this report forms part of the Alliance’s work to support the federal government in fulfilling national climate change policy goals.
