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:
The Congress of the State of Nayarit through the commissions of Industry, Commerce and Tourism; Ecology and Environmental Protection and Economic and Social Development; in coordination with the project “Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change in Cooperation with the Private Sector in Mexico” (ADAPTUR) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, held the webinar “Blue Carbon, an opportunity for a climate resilient economy”. The congressmen and congresswomen and their respective legislative teams from the other states in the Gulf of California region were invited to attend. Part of the capacity- building activities for legislative teams of local congresses, more than 45 people from Nayarit and Sonora participated.
This initiative was led by deputies Juanita González, Georgina López and Nadia Bernal, who serve as chairpersons of the commissions. They are working together to position tourism as an axis that encourages the inclusion of transcendental issues for the region in their commissions and within the State Congress. Their work aims to create a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery for everyone, focusing on the environment; natural resources; climate change and Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EbA) measures.
The event aimed to increase the knowledge of participants on coastal-marine ecosystems; their vulnerability to climate change; their importance for the region’s biodiversity and the creation of solutions for climate action; and their relationship to economic activity within the Gulf of California region, which is essential for the tourism sector. This was done through a panel discussion between subject-matter experts that included Dr. Nélida Barajas from the Intercultural Centre for the Study of Deserts and Oceans; Mr. Luis Fueyo, a consultant specialising in oceans, biodiversity and environmental law; and the moderator, Mr. Alejandro Callejas, an international consultant specialising in biodiversity and climate change.
The meeting created linkages and multi-stakeholder dialogue between states, congresses, commissions, and legislators of the Gulf of California region, which supports work towards the enrichment of the subnational legal framework in the region. They succeeded in positioning blue carbon as an opportunity to implement EbA measures to strengthen climate action, protect the natural capital of the Gulf of California and strengthen the region’s economy by protecting the natural capital of one of the country’s major tourist attractions.
For more information, please contact Andrés Martínez, Technical Advisor of the ADAPTUR project for the Riviera Nayarit-Jalisco region.
The third edition of the Climate Change Action Groups (CCAGs) was a space for dialogue and exchange of experiences between public servants at the subnational level that allowed them to hear first-hand about experiences, successes and areas of opportunity in the implementation of projects on green infrastructure, circular economies, society and climate. This initiative has been created by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in collaboration with the Mexican Association of Municipal Planning Institutes (AMIMP), the Mexican Climate Community (CCM) and Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI).
Held from 4 to 7 July, the GACCs focused on a specific theme each day. In total, 596 people participated, and 25 sessions were held to share experiences about case studies and the implementation of best practices at the local level. For example, three keynote speeches by representatives from Germany discussed examples of important projects that address the impacts of climate change – from the experiences of various cities such as Freiburg in the circular economy; the Berlin Climate Change Action Plan 2022-2026; and the Hamburg Green Network.
Below, find a summary of the four days of the GACC.
Green Infrastructure
The focus of the first day was on green infrastructure. Green infrastructure can be used, for example, to reduce runoff in times of rainfall by harnessing the retention and absorption capacities of vegetation and soil. In these cases, green infrastructure, in addition to meeting the needs of human societies, can increase carbon sequestration, improve air quality, mitigate the urban heat island effect and increase resilience in vulnerable populations, such as coastal cities.
One of the experiences highlighted was that of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, in particular the process of developing its municipal green infrastructure standard and how coordination between different areas of the municipal government supports such initiatives. The Green Infrastructure Network promoted by GIZ Mexico through the CiClim and BIOCITIS projects was presented.
Keynote address “The Hamburg Green Network and citizen participation processes” given by Dr. Cornelia Peters from the Behörde für Umwelt, Klima, Energie und Agrarwirtschaft (BUKEA)
Circular Economy
On the second day, experiences were exchanged on circular economy instruments, sustainable consumption of electronic devices and inter-municipal solutions to reduce plastic pollution. They also discussed the implementation of energy efficiency and how it can reduce pressure on the environment, improving efficiency in the supply chain of raw materials and promoting economic growth and increased employment.
During the parallel sessions, state authorities expressed strong interest in generating a shared network of knowledge and information on recycling centres and events through the RAECO mobile application implemented by GIZ. Representatives from Chiapas, Chihuahua and the State of Mexico showed interest in including their own events in the application.
Presentación de RAECO en la sesión “Consumo sustentable de aparatos electrónicos” de los GACC
Society and Climate Change
The cornerstone of the third day was the role of society in climate change. They discussed how different sectors of society play a key role in climate governance because the willingness of business, government, academia and civil society can have a positive or negative impact on the fight against global temperature rise.
Ponencia Magistral “Plan de Cambio Climático en Berlin 2022 – 2026” impartida por Alejandro Fanegas, Berliner Energieagentur GmbH.
Digitalisation tools
Finally, the last day addressed the importance of digital tools in accelerating the transition towards a circular economy and the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially as related to the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life in urban populations.
Keynote address “How does digitization help the sustainable development of cities?” Taught by Ileana Cerón from FabCity Yucatán
The creation of this type of space for the exchange of ideas and experiences allows for the construction of synergies between public and private sector actors at the local, national and international level to learn about progress, challenges and opportunities, as well as to create alliances in the fight against climate change.
Thus, for the third consecutive year, the GACCs have collaborated to strengthen and improve communication and the implementation of local projects that contribute significantly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
A few years ago, removing a retaining wall that blocked waves, and instead restoring the dune’s native vegetation as a measure to prevent coastal erosion, might have sounded unlikely. However, the Moon Palace Group in Quintana Roo has understood that nature itself is the best ally for reducing climate change vulnerability.
This ecosystem-based adaptation measure (EbA) began in 2019 with the technical support of the project Adaptation to Climate Change in the Tourism Sector (ADAPTUR) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP Resilience).
To date, the commitment of the hotel group through the Environmental Management Department remains strong; despite the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, they have made progress in:
The removal of 280 linear metres of retaining wall that separated the hotel area from the beach.
The transformation of 5,000 square meters of exotic grass gardens to their natural state: sagassum was removed and a sandy coastal dune was recovered, with native species of plants that provide stability to the coastline.
The reforestation of 1.8 kilometres of coastal dune with varied and stratified species.
Constant monitoring of the effectiveness of actions and technical exchange with experts.
The plants used are not only adapted to the climate and soil, but also keep the beach stable, where they are not present, erosion continues and reduces the areas for recreational use.
In March 2022, ADAPTUR coordinated a technical visit to Moon Palace facilities and an experience exchange session with another important hotel group, who have also initiated coastal dune restoration efforts in the Mexican Caribbean.
This case study is an inspiring example and demonstrates that the private sector can improve its operation in the market and at the same time achieve the climate resilience of a region.
For the first time, these reports offer economic figures of what it would mean to lose natural capital (beaches, reefs, jungles, forests, etc.) and the services they provide (water, protection, scenic beauty, etc.) for tourism businesses in San Miguel de Allende, the Riviera Nayarit-Jalisco and the Riviera Maya.
Cover of the report for Riviera Maya. GIZ-ADAPTUR
Likewise, it estimates the annual losses associated with the direct impact of climate change on buildings (hotels) and supporting infrastructure (roads, hospitals, airports, etc.).
To cite one example, if San Miguel de Allende does not carry out adaptation actions, it is estimated that by 2030 it could face an annual economic risk between $10.28 – $17.11 million dollars, considering that the scarcity of water as well as floods present the highest risks for the operation of businesses.
Damages from Hurricane Kena in Puerto Vallarta in 2002. Vallarta Opina.
Among the recommendations for destinations, the design and implementation of a policy has been proposed, for the comprehensive management of water; the restoration of reefs, sea grasses, beaches and forests; and the creation of cooperative alliances between the public and private sectors to promote adaptation to climate change.
Additionally, the digital platform Economic Risk Information System (SIRE-ADAPTUR) was designed, which presents the results of the reports. The interactive tool to evaluate the cost of water production, and an extensive collection of geographic and climatic maps (location of properties, risk map, climate change scenarios, and distribution of natural assets –among others), aim at supporting decision-making for resilient tourism development.
The reports were published in October 2020 and were elaborated by the consulting companies E-blocks S.A. de C.V. and ERN Evaluación de Riesgos Naturales, in collaboration with 60 hotel companies, local environmental and tourism authorities, academic experts, civil society and members of the ADAPTUR project.
They are available for download at the following link: SIRE (eblocks.mx)
The aim of the session was to learn about the way in which the financial and productive sectors assess and incorporate both climate transition risks and opportunities in their strategic planning, corporate decision-making and financial disclosure related to climate, as well as the possible role of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) in these processes. Distinguished experts participated: Alan Gómez (Citibanamex Vice President of Sustainability) as moderator, as well as Alba Aguilar (Director of New Markets in the Mexican Stock Exchange) and José Ramón Ardavín (Executive Director of the Private Sector Studies Commission for Sustainable Development, CESPEDES).
It was highlighted that the recognition of transition risks in Mexico has promoted important changes. These changes include a financial community that is now convinced about the importance of understanding, evaluating and integrating risks in their strategies. In addition, the need for information, standards and clear business rules was identified to scale the green financing market. Finally, in recent years, green financial products have emerged and been labeled with environmental, social and government criteria. However, it was highlighted that the amount of green financing is still incipient.
The launch of the ETS is essential to unleash climate finance and accelerate the development of the green product market. During the session, the importance that companies should give to the ETS was mentioned, since it is an important instrument for integrating climate change into their business strategies and reducing climate financial risks. This is because it allows them to specify emission reduction goals and facilitate the management of the carbon budget, facilitate the development of mitigation projects and promote green investment. It also allows them to promote resilient business models, adapt to changes in the market and continue to be highly competitive in the future.
To access the recording of the session, click here (in Spanish).
Invitation to the Virtual Forum “Financing for a Green and Inclusive Recovery”. GIZ
Human mobility in the context of climate change has gained space in international agendas on sustainable development and climate change. The formulation of the National Adaptation Plans of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) member countries following COP 16 represents an opportunity to consider internal climate migration from a human rights perspective.
Climate migration is a reality all over the world. As the global average temperature increases to 1.5°C, there will be an increase in incidents of internal migration and displacement. The challenge is much greater for the most vulnerable countries: Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). According to a study by the World Bank, it is projected that by 2050, in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America alone, around 143 million people could be forced to move within their own countries to escape the impacts of climate change.
Under the 2010 Cancun Adaptation Framework, the Parties to the UNFCCC assumed the commitment to intensify their work identifying and implementing strategies of adaptation to climate change, among others things; this involves taking measures to improve understanding, coordination, and cooperation regarding displacement, migration, and planned relocation as a consequence of climate change. In addition, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 addresses the displacement caused – or not – by climate disasters, as well as the contribution of migrants to resilience at their destination. However, the official recognition of climate-induced migration and displacement is still in its early stages within international agreements on climate change.
Human mobility related to climate risks can occur in response to different types of risks and in different ways: forced displacement, voluntary migration, organized relocation, within a country or across borders, individually, or as a community. For its part, the International Organization for Migration maintains a sustainable development perspective, which allows needs to be met and vulnerabilities of populations exposed to environmental factors to be reduced, through disaster risk reduction and adaptation measures to climate change.
One of the initiatives in the field that has most gained momentum at an international level is the understanding of migration as part of the adaptation strategy that can be promoted through planned relocation and resettlement, or through temporary migration. However, it is increasingly evident that the ability to migrate – beyond a human right – is a function of mobility and resources (both financial and social); that is, the people most vulnerable to climate change are not necessarily the most likely to migrate.
It is important to understand the context that motivates the displacement of people due to reasons associated with climate change. However, going further than the risk-focused approach, the challenge of the international agenda and regulatory frameworks at an international level lies in addressing an approach that focuses on the human rights of migrants – the movement itself and the destination. Furthermore, it should focus on those who, for economic, social, or cultural reasons, are forced to stay in the affected or most at-risk areas.
To date, only a few countries have finished formulating their National Adaptation Policy (NAP). In the case of Mexico, the government is in charge of initiating a participative construction process with regional actors. For their part, other countries are still defining their strategy to comply with the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), either by increasing the ambition of their goals or by updating national commitments. This represents an opportunity for these countries to consider climate risk and the challenges and opportunities of migration in national development planning, from a human rights and people-centered approach.
When implementing climate measures, indicators play a critical role in monitoring and evaluation(M&E) mechanisms. In addition to promoting transparency, they justify investments in climate change adaptation projects as effective and sustainable actions.
In Mexico, the General Law on Climate Change (LGCC) recognizes in Article 27 that the national policy of adaptation to climate change “will be based on instruments of diagnosis, planning, measurement, monitoring, reporting, verification, and evaluation”, with the aim of reducing the vulnerability of society and ecosystems, as well as strengthening the resilience of natural and human systems to the effects of climate change. This provision is essential to glimpse the progress that Mexico has made in complying with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) on adaptation.
The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) instruments, as well as facilitating the monitoring of project progress, function as a transparency and accountability mechanism that is attractive for both political and financial decision makers. Thus, managers of climate change adaptation projects must design M&E mechanisms with indicators that provide unequivocal conclusions about how adaptation measures reduce vulnerabilities to the consequences of climate change.
The formulation of indicators for monitoring and verifying the results of adaptation projects presents challenges, amongst them the uncertainties about the local and regional consequences of climate change, the time horizon of climate variability, and the relationship between climate change and other social aspects. Likewise, given the diversity of socio-cultural, socio-political and geographic contexts, there is no universal indicator or list of indicators that can evaluate the results of adaptation or promote their replicability.
The high level of vulnerability of women and girls to climate change is closely related to the roles and norms attached to their gender. That is why it is essential to mainstream gender perspectives into climate action policies and programs, in order to evaluate the extent to which these instruments contribute to reducing gender inequality.
The interaction of men and women with the environment occurs differently according to their gender roles, needs, responsibilities, and established power relations. This means that environment and climate change effects impact them in different ways and to different extents. Women represent 43% of the agricultural workforce in developing countries, but only 5% have access to agricultural extension services. Likewise, they occupy just 14% of the managerial positions in the sector, with only 10% to 20% of landholders being women. Furthermore, women in forestry, fishing and agriculture receive only 7% of agricultural investment.
The conditions of inequality and discrimination against women and girls – as well as other vulnerable groups (older adults, people with physical disabilities, indigenous people, people living in poverty or marginalization, people in homelessness, etc.) – tend to exacerbate as a result of climate change, as their vulnerability to the adverse effects of this phenomenon is even greater.
Despite the international consensus that promoting gender equality helps reduce poverty, supports inclusive growth, and increases the effectiveness and sustainability of development initiatives, there is still a need for data according to sex, which consider gender an essential element to assess the relative situation of men and women at local, national and global levels in terms of the environment and climate change.
This initiative was carried out through awareness-raising workshops and working groups at the inter-institutional level between the different agencies that report to the PACCM (Mexico City Climate Action Program), the Mexico City Institute for Women (Inmujeres CDMX), as well as liaisons and dependencies responsible for the implementation of lines of action for the Mexico City Special Program for Equal Opportunities and Non-Discrimination Against Women 2015-2018 (PEIOND).
Gender indicators have the special function of signaling social changes regarding gender relations over time. In the case of the PACCM, this translates into an effort to know to what extent the guidelines of this instrument help reduce the inequality gap between women and men, and address the needs and concerns of each group when faced with the effects of climate change.
Some challenges were identified due to the work being carried out to incorporate the gender perspective in the lines of action and PACCM indicators, such as changes in perception and recognition of the link between climate change and gender – or the lack of data and base lines to monitor and evaluate progress in this area. However, it is also possible to take the Mexico City government experience to promote a harmonization of public policies and coordination between institutions at a local level (Review: “Products, Results, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations”). Likewise, this tool presents an easily replicable method for state and municipal governments to integrate gender perspectives into their sectoral attributions, thereby identifying and formulating mitigation and adaptation actions to climate change.
As Mexico is a megadiverse, multicultural country and highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, the Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach is being integrated into national instruments to select high-impact adaptation measures that contribute to reducing vulnerability and fulfilling the Paris Agreement.
In October 2015, 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 – presented the first version of the Methodology for the Prioritization of Adaptation Measures against Climate Change. This document considers the list of criteria contemplated in ENCC 10-20-40 and involves the economic evaluation of each of the contemplated adaptation measures. Since then, it has served as a guide for the development of the State-level Climate Change Programs (PECCs) and Climate Change Adaptation Programs (PACC) in Protected Natural Areas (NPA).
Considering Mexico’s megadiversity, both in climates and ecosystems, the Update of the Methodology for the Prioritization of Adaptation Measures was presented in 2018, with the integration of the EbA approach as its main feature. This approach addresses the country’s potential to reduce its vulnerability, and that of its population, through the sustainable management of resources, the restoration of ecosystems, and the conservation of biodiversity.
The methodology contemplates a participative process at each stage, involving all the actors that benefit from ecosystem services. In addition to functioning as an exercise in transparency and governance, the methodology demonstrates the potential of prioritizing EbA measures at a sectoral level, and even a private sector level, in response to the potential impacts to their productive activities caused by climate change.
Other great benefits of emphasizing the EbA approach in the selection of adaptation measures are the integration of local knowledge and the contribution to disaster risk reduction. Furthermore, EbA projects can be more cost-effective and accessible compared to other gray adaptation measures (construction of infrastructure and/or engineering works); this in turn favors the access to the portfolios of projects applicable for some type of green financing.
Mexico is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its geographical location, topography, and socioeconomic characteristics. Adaptation measures are essential to face the already inevitable effects of climate change, which have the greatest impact on the country’s most vulnerable populations and main productive activities.
According to data provided in the PECC 2014-2018, 13% of municipalities in Mexico present the highest degree of vulnerability to climate change. About 25% of the population lives in irregular settlements and flood risk areas; while droughts in the north of the country are increasingly recurrent and threaten the population’s food security. This translates into the restricted adaptive capacity of a large majority of inhabitants in the face of potential severe hydrometeorological events.
Credits: Shutterstock. Irregular settlements on the Acapulco coast.
With the development of these workshops, work continues on the construction and capacity building at state level in the north and south of the country for the achievement in the construction and implementation of good State Climate Change Programs.
